A&E

Meet the 2017 Coachella acts headed to Las Vegas

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When Coachella grew to two weekends five years ago, more of its acts booked local gigs—a natural way to kill time between their two appearances at the world’s most popular music event. They made some extra scratch, and Las Vegas music fans saw more acts—many that might’ve never come our way. Sadly, Coachella overlap shows have decreased in the last couple years. Blame skyward booking fees—even the smallest-font acts cost thousands of dollars—a lack of club-sized venues and an increasingly play-it-safe concert market, among other things. That said, more than a few worthy Coachella acts are coming our way.

Bon Iver For those who weren’t at Justin Vernon’s Las Vegas debut at the Joint almost exactly five years ago: Don’t underestimate the revered indie act’s live dynamism and bewitching capabilities. Those expecting reverb-soaked campfire balladry will get full-bodied arrangements, myriad projections of catharsis—and a wide variety of sounds, given last year’s evolutionary 22, A Million. With Velvet Negroni. April 13, 8 p.m., $41, The Joint.

Empire of the Sun & The Avalanches Pure entertainment, densely-packed. Synthpop dance group Empire of the Sun has a stage show that’s best described as Alejandro Jodorowsky sandwiched between slices of Cirque. And pastiche-pop masterminds The Avalanches took everything magical about the summer days of your childhood and condensed it all into their sublime 2016 album Wildflower. With Rick Steele, April 15, 8 p.m., $40-$50, The Chelsea.

Toots & the Maytals Look at the roots of ska and reggae and you’ll find Frederick “Toots” Hibbert there, continuing to nurture good things. The band has been performing for half a century, but you wouldn’t know it from their performance. When they play “Pressure Drop” or “Funky Kingston,” the history melts away, leaving only the immaculate groove. With Leba and Joint Committee, April 15, 8 p.m., $31-$51, Brooklyn Bowl.

King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard & Pond To call what King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard do “psychedelic rock” is underselling it a bit. What the Melbourne, Australia group does is take the essence of psychedelia—the long, hypnotic instrumental passages, the lyrical abstraction—and distill it with everything from surf to Krautrock. The resulting sound can rightly be called “mind-expanding.” Supporting act Pond, a kind of funhouse mirror version of Tame Impala, shares the bill. With ORB, April 18, 8 p.m., $15-$20, Hard Rock Hotel’s JBL Soundstage.

Tove Lo & Sofi Tukker An outspoken advocate of sex positivity and female sexuality, Lo—also known as Ebba Tove Elsa Nilsson—made waves in 2014 with her breakout single “Habits (Stay High). Catch her in Vegas before she drops Lady Wood (Phase 2) this fall. Opening: Grammy-nominated duo and fellow Coachella participant Sofi Tukker. April 21, 7:30 p.m., $28-$55, Brooklyn Bowl.

Tacocat These Seattle pop-punks—cleverly named after everyone’s favorite palindrome—combine jangly rock ‘n’ roll riffs with a healthy dose of cultural malaise (hear: “Men Explain Things to Me”), crafting a poppy, sardonic brand of punk rock that rips through every fuzz-tinged chord. With The Negative Nancys, The Van Der Rohe, April 26, 8 p.m., $10, Beauty Bar.

Also: Bastille, with Mondo Cozmo, April 11, 8 p.m., $25-$40, The Chelsea. The Head and the Heart, The Dreamers, April 11, 7:30 p.m., $31-$46, Brooklyn Bowl. Oh Wonder & HONNE, April 12, 7:30 p.m., $20-$25, Brooklyn Bowl. Grace Mitchell with Candy Warpop, We Are Pancakes, April 13, 7 p.m., free, Brooklyn Bowl. Downtown Boys April 19, 9 p.m., $10-$12, Bunkhouse Saloon Phantogram with Lido, April 19, 7:30 p.m., $30-$50, Brooklyn Bowl. Caveman with Brumby, Rabid Young, Coastwest Unrest, Chop 808, Play On Words, MOOSEthecoolest and David Cuf, April 20, 2 p.m., free, UNLV’s Dayton/SWRC Field. Kehlani with Ella Mai, Jahkoy and Noodles, April 20, 7 p.m., $25, Brooklyn Bowl. Hans Zimmer April 21, 7:30 p.m., $55-$610, Park Theater.

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