If You’re Going to Coachella: A Nerd’s Guide to Bands and Fun Times
by Becca Gleason on April 11, 2012
It’s that time of year, Nerds! Music festivals are a flutter and you might be noticing a heightened use of a certain three-syllable word, Coach-el-la. This Friday marks the opening day of Weekend 1, and yours truly will be there to witness the beast in all its sweaty, hazy glory. I will transform into my shameful hipster alter-ego and talk to festival attendees about things like The Gaslamp Killer‘s awesome beard, how to pronounce Ximena Sariana and how I plan on marrying Gotye and/or Kimbra before I leave the desert and head back to L.A. I will wear tie dye, I will camp, and I will probably get sunburned.
My Top 5 Bands to see at Coachella (excluding Radiohead because, lets be honest, that goes without saying):
5. WU LYF
Right off the boat from Manchester, England, this mysterious band has made it big, despite their eagerness to keep away from the press. They describe their music as “Heavy Pop,” their vocals are hard and loud yet placed on a bed of playful guitar. Word on the street is they put on a really special live show, so definitely check them out!
4. Gotye
It seems that ever since the lineup was released, Gotye has blown up in exponential proportions, but don’t let that discourage you. Even though the Australian heartthrob has gone mainstream (His song “Somebody I Used To Know” will be featured on tonight’s episode of Glee), he’s still managed to release one of the most original albums this year. Not to mention his collaboration with Kimbra is magical.
3. Frank Ocean
One of our favorite members of Odd Future, Frank Ocean, will be hitting the stage solo at Coachella. He’s the R&B singer to see this year after being featured on Kanye West and Jay-Z’s Watch The Throne, his singles, “Novacane” and “Swim Good” as well as his current tour have been receiving killer reviews. Frank is absolutely a must-see!
2. Lissie
When it came to deciding which chick singer I wanted to promote this year, it came down to Lissie and St. Vincent. I feel that I have expressed my love for Annie Clark and her spectacular self countless times on Nerdist, so maybe I should give someone else a shot. Lissie is a hippie who can rock. Hard. I had the pleasure of shooting her a few years back for Billboard.com and she encompasses a little bit of everything, rock n’ roll, country and being a badass. Go see her!
1. Justice
I cannot express to you how long I’ve been waiting to see Justice live. If you look at my bucket list somewhere it’s written “See Justice Live.” FINALLY! Ever since I saw their documentary, A Cross The Universe (which I highly recommend), watching Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay live has been a dream of mine, mostly because these two Frenchmen know how to put on a show better than anyone else. Go see them. Mosh. Rage. Be disgusting. It will be fun.
Please follow me on Twitter! I’ll be conducting interviews all weekend and will be asking for your input!
I love this site, reminds me a little of Auralgasm.org!
Please check out Refused in honor of a poor soul who could not get tickets to see one of her favorite bands that she’s NEVER gotten to see live and sadly, probably never will.
Mmmm, St. Vincent or Lissie. Tough call. Personally, I’d go with the brunette. Really looking forward to The Horrors and tUnE-yArDs.
Mmmm, St. Vincent or Lissie. Tough call. Personally, I’d go with the brunette. Really looking forward to The Horrors and Tune Yards.
noice