I found these guys on youtube one time and quite liked their sound… a really cool combo of percussion vocals and banjo! They were cool. Vocally I love it when the whole band sings which they did. They also used the xylophone heaps and other percussion.
It was suggested by of one of Sams friends that we should check out this guy and… afterwards I wanted to marry the tallest man on earth because he was everything I hope and dream of… haha. His music was very folky and reminded me in a really bad way of me trying to compare artists of a cross between Ryan Adams and Damien Rice… in the style of Bob Dylan - which isn’t really what he sounded like but then kind of. He was just so raw and dreamy. The last song he performed was with a chick (speculation of if she was his wife or not but I like to think she wasn’t) which was just glorious.
I then caught the tail end of Foals… who were to be honest nothing special… they kind of just existed. Which is sad because I have heard so much good things about their live show… maybe one needs to hear the full set?
I cant really claim hearing these guys as I left after a couple of songs (for good reasons including promises of a shower) They had such a solid sound and were really tight. I left wanting to check them out more which is always a good thing…
I really like broken social scene… they just do something right. They were ok but just not incredible. They are the sort of band who I think I have huge expectations on in particular their ability to perform at a live show based on the amount of back up they have with a massive band. But in saying that their show was enjoyable, I don’t think their music is something one can hugely kneebop along to or indulge in the effects and intensity of the music, so I basically lay down in the grass and dreamed away. There is something special about looking at clouds move to the beat. Kevin Drew was also a bit lame… chucking out one liners such as my mum always told me it was important to stay hydrated at festivals, make sure you guys drink lots of water…
This video in essence shows everything that is beautiful about Coachella. The sunset was to die for and bought so much more then beauty in was the death of the heat and the arrival of a place you could actually breathe. Bright Eyes… so I was already completely in love with Connor Oberst… something about his tortured genius and ability to make amazing music… But live these guys were just amazing. They played quite a bit of stuff of their new album which has some epic songs on it. I particularly enjoyed their song shell games, and their live rendition of Lover I don’t have to love was pretty heart wrenching. I think in essence the ability for Bright Eyes to be one of those bands that have the perfect ability to cross between dynamics. They also had one of the guys on stage playing trumpet and flugelhorn which won my heart. They had 2 drummers too which just makes for awesome! Connor Oberst I want to marry you…
These were a major drawcard for the festival and one of my deciding factors to attend… and well I was blown away. Mumford and Sons have been a bit of a worldwide phenomenon and the Americans well they just love them, which I couldn’t work out really because they are so British. They opened with Sigh No More which has beautiful vocal opening. They then played hit after hit. They also played a couple of new songs which were just a treat! I often hate it when bands play new material because I don’t know it, but these songs just felt like I had played them on repeat already. The band also had such an energy… just pumping the music out. The horn section was also a total treat. Not playing horn lines but adding to the backline of the music. The tempo changes and dynamic build that the band has were also done so well live taking us from huge climaxes back down to quite patches. I think overall the band just seemed like nice guys and all I could do was fall further in love with them.
I heard these guys a year ago in Auckland and would list it in perhaps the top 5 musical experiences of my life. Everything about Glen and Marketa is beautiful. At Coachella we made a mad dash from Mumfords Stage to hear them but was sadly disappointed. I think perhaps the fact that they were in between two stages which were both pumping bass paired with a noisy audience, it was difficult to hear them, they also had a really short set so it felt like we had been short changed and the set turned into a blur of confusion really.
So here was my pick of the weekend… 11 people on stage, some massive songs, an incredible front man and lady, and a bunch of die hard fans… made for the best gig of the weekend. I love arcade fire and just love them even more now… Win Butler is just a hero as was his wife Regine who managed to play every instrument on stage. They just played hit after hit after hit. Finished their set and then played 3 more hits. I am a huge fan of their latest album which they played quite a bit of but they also played some Neon Bible and Funeral and oh It was just a blur of 2 hours of me in a field dancing with my hands in the air enjoying the glory of epic music! They ended the set with Wake up where there was a massive balloon drop, these balloons were huge though. They dropped white and then when they were dropped they had lights in them and these were all set off at different times to changing patterns. We spent a while afterwards trying to work out the technology behind these as they somehow managed to put a wave of light through the whole crowd of them, which meant they were able to locate the positions of the fallen balloons? UFOs I say! Ending their encore with Mountains beyond Mountains and then the closing of the strings of suburbs… awwww tear. A memory to hold in my heart always!
1 comment:
Clearly I need to be educated (you can tell I'm still just on holiday - back to work tomorrow).
Tell me what to listen to of Mumford and Sons, and Arcade Fire. Make me a CD and I promise to listen : ) You have inspired me with all your comments about Coachella.
Post a Comment