The second day of Coachella is always a slow-moving one, after spending the previous day basking in the glory of music, celebs and desert sun, your natural inclination when you wake up is to lay by the pool and relax. Of course, we did just that, soaking up some much-needed sun before finally heading over to the Polo Grounds to catch some more incredible live music.
First up we headed over to hip hop power duo, Run The Jewels, who took to the stage while Queens “We Are the Champions” played in the background, before diving headfirst into their special brand of politically charge rap anthems. During their set the group brought out Rage Against the Machine frontman and recent collaborator Zach de la Rocha to perform his verse on ‘Close Your Eyes (And Count To Fuck)’ from last year’s Run The Jewels 2 album. After de la Rocha, Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker took to the stage, while El-P joked that his appearance was obvious, seeing as a drum kit had been onstage for the entirety of the set.
After getting amped up, we headed over to the Gobi stage to catch the super groovy English indie-pop band Glass Animals. Their set was slotted into the much coveted “sunset hour” which set the mood perfectly for the rest of the evening. It’s hard to deny lead singer Dave Bayley’s gentle creeping falsetto voice as he croons to you in the desert heat. The crowd reach maximum hype level for their hit single “Gooey,” off their debut album Zaba. By the end of the set, Bayley jumped into the audience to get up-close-and-personal to perform their cover of Kanye West’s “Love Lockdown,” which turned into a sing along. It was nice.
From those quickly rising English stars, we made our way, with the rest of the festival, to the current kings of English Indie-electro-pop, Alt J who were performing on the main Coachella stage. Pulling by far the biggest crowd of their career, maybe, the band performed hits from their two albums with vigor and gusto. The four-piece band, featuring Joe Newman, Thom Green, Gus Unger-Hamilton and Cameron Knight, blended together songs that showcased their rock and electronic abilities flawlessly.
Just minutes after Alt-J took to the stage, right next door on the Outdoor stage Father John Misty started his performance. It was odd that the two bands were slated for the same time and of course the result was noticeably predictable. No real human bodies and lots of bleed over noise. Which was a shame because FJM put on a show that turned many causal and curious festival attendees into fans, us included.
Up next the temp changed dramatically, as always controversial and outspoken business tycoon and Odd Future group lead, Tyler, the Creator took to the stage. Oh, but it wasn’t just any stage, but an oversize bedroom set, complete with oversized bed, chair, and drawers. Coming out wearing a weird as fug mask, the one that is hand drawn on his brand new album Cherry Bomb, before pulling off and getting into his hyper-energized set. Performing both new and old tracks, Tyler, would periodically stop to make fun of Kylie and Kendall Jenner, to praise Jack White, who was performing on the stage next to him, and hurl insults and praise at his fans. It was magical. Oh and his new album is out today.
Dramatically changing tempo was neuewave R&B singer FKA twigs. Dancing, singing, and fake fellatio giving, the English singer-songwriter performed tracks from her debut album including fan-favourites “Two Weeks,” “Pendulum” and “Water Me. What a babe.
Filling the gap between FKA twigs and Saturday night headliner The Weeknd we popped by masked electronic dance musician SBTRKT. Taking to the stage 15-minutes late (a bad sign), SBTRKT performed hits from his two albums and even bringing out Vampire Weekend frontman Ezra Koenig to sing his part from SBTRKT’s 2014 single “New Dorp. New York.”
From their, the moment had arrived, Toronto’s own The Weeknd, took to the Coachella stage to close out Day 2 of Weekend 1. Acting like a magnetic force of nature, Abel Tesfaye pulled people from all over the Polo Grounds to watch him perform his incredible soulful and hyper-sexual R&B singles. As many of you may remember he first performed at Coachella in 2012, before hitting the road and continuing his world tour. In the preceding 3 years, the confidence and swagger he has developed definitely helped him earn his spot as a headliner.
Take a look through all our pictures below and remember to follow along on Instagram, Twitter and Vine for live updates and an inside look at the festival.
Run The Jewels
Glass Animals
Father John Misty
Alt J
Tyler, the Creator
FKA Twigs
SBTRKT
The Weeknd
