Princess Superstar kicks off the Main Stage with an amusing set in which she is given money and roses from the audience, and raps about having sex like a robot. Next, on the Outdoor Theatre stage, Folk Implosion’s sound check takes forever and Lou Barlow starts singing the Robinsons May (or some company’s) commercial jingle: "the right choices, they make all the difference." They then play a stripped-down version of their one and only hit, Kids song "Natural One," as the remaining cables and the like are being attached. "It’s been reported that this was going to be our last show as Folk Implosion, and that we were going to change the name of the band. So from this day forth, we are The New Folk Implosion," Barlow strangely jokes.

Princess Superstar

The Vines

Later at the Outdoor Theatre, The Charlatans play something of a greatest hits set, intermixing songs from last year’s Curtis Mayfield-inspired Wonderland album. Lead singer Tim Burgess, decked out in a Byrd’s T-shirt, does his best to recreate his new Wonderland falsetto voice on songs like "A Man Needs to Be Told," but the enthusiastic crowd is obviously more appreciative of early hit "The Only One I Know." As always, the finale of "Sprostson Green" sounds fantastic and leaves one wondering why the band is on so early. In England, The Charlatans headline festivals much bigger than Coachella, but at the festival closest to Burgess’ adopted hometown of L.A., the band is relegated to playing on the second stage in the middle of the day. Hopefully for Burgess’ sake, that will change next time.

On the main stage Siouxsie & The Banshees are as creepy as ever and bring back adolescent memories for many audience members, Under the Radar photographer Wendy Lynch and scribe Nick Hyman included. Back at the Outdoor Theatre, The Beta Band sound surprisingly good, even when playing tracks off of last year’s very disappointing Hot Shots II album. The band are decked out in their trademark matching white suits. At which point we have to leave The Beta’s rockin’ set early in order to prepare for the most anticipated lady of the evening: Bjork. The Icelandic Queen takes the stage in a beautiful white dress and just stands there for several minutes as the audience cheers and cameras flash. She is backed by a small string section and a guy on a laptop. The sparse sound, lifted mainly from her last two more minimalist albums, sounds better right up front, but doesn’t travel so well when we move farther back.

The Beta Band

After Bjork we were able to catch the tail end of the performance by much-hyped Australian rockers The Vines, at the Mojave tent. It is only the band’s second U.S. appearance, and their first-ever festival slot, and it shows. Singer Craig Nichols leaps spastically around the stage. Musically it is the sound of chaos rather than the focus found on the band’s excellent debut album, Highly Evolved. Granted, we had not yet been wonderfully infected by that album, and their later performance at the Roxy many months later was far more impressive. But this is not a welcome introduction to the band.

Bjork

The highlight of the evening, and indeed the entire festival was to come next when Sweden’s anti-capitalist garage punk band, The (International) Noise Conspiracy storms the stage bringing a much-needed vigor. "This is the greatest soul song ever written and recorded, in Sweden," lead singer Dennis Lyxzen announces before one song, and you are inclined to believe him. Between speechs about violent protests in Gothenburg and the like, Lyxzen proves to be a phenomenal showman, leaping around the stage and even doing multiple splits with an unrivaled energy that channeled a mix of James Brown, Mick Jagger and every great punk singer rolled into one. There are even bonafid Mohawk-endowed punks in the audience, who look pleased as the front erupts in a mosh pit when the band encores with a rousing cover of The Ramones’ "Let’s Go." Whoever scheduled Coachella were wise enough to put INC at the top of the bill on at least one of the stages, as they simply fuckin’ rocked and blew away every other band at the festival, hands down by their sheer showmanship and force of sound.
	The (International) Noise Conspiracy

Day two for us begins where day one triumphantly ended, back in the Mojave Tent, as Manchester’s Elbow takes the stage for a typically emotional set. The band has a replacement drummer, as regular skinsman Richard Jupp is at home helping his wife have their baby. But this doesn’t make the band sound any less ace as they rip through songs like the fittingly named "Newborn," their touching ode to growing old with someone. Lead singer Guy Carvey literally seems like he’s ripping his heart up and out through his throat, laying it bare for the whole audience to see. Guy’s a dead nice guy too. Blonde Redhead takes the Outdoor Theatre with their indie rock combination of identical twin brothers and an Asian female lead singer/guitarist who’s married to one of the twins. Dave Grohl seems to be enjoying himself from aside the stage, but members of The Strokes and The (International) Noise Conspiracy seem less impressed. It’s at this point that we notice that a swarm of bees has built a nest overnight underneath a table backstage of the Outdoor Theatre.

Blonde Redhead

Meanwhile on the main stage, hip hopper Mos Def is impressing with his full band, thankfully no average two turntables and a microphone for him. "What’s up, you all ready to see more rock shit, ghetto rock?" Mos Def asks the crowd, before announcing "this is the greatest ghetto rock song ever recorded!" Not exactly, but INC’s Lyxzen looks pleased from the side of the stage; and remember, he’s recorded the greatest Swedish soul song ever.

Mos Def

The Mars Volta, the afro-decked, one half of the late At the Drive-In (the other half being Sparta), control the Mojave tent with a loud sound and lots of fuckin’ raw energy. Think I.N.C., but with more rock-star posing and less true content.

The Mars Volta

The Stokes do all right on the main stage, if you like that sort of thing. The New Yorker’s have still failed to convince me of their talent. Although singles "Last Night" and "Someday" are growers, and maybe their album deserves a second chance. The band do get the most star-studded audience of the festival, as we strangely stand on the side of the stage with the likes of Kelly Osbourne, Oasis’ Gallagher brothers and Jack Black. They also play one new song.

Jack Black’s musical comedy act, Tenacious D were next to perform as a surprise warm-up act for Foo Fighters, but we are off to the outdoor theatre to see Scottish, twee, indie-poppers, Belle and Sebastian. So are the celebrities, and we find ourselves in the surreal position of photographing from the side of the stage as surrounded by Beck, Drew Barrymore and Giovanni Ribisi, with Christina Ricci hanging out backstage somewhere. I swear I’m not dropping names, but merely setting a scene.

A game Belle and Sebastian nicely play fan favorites like "Boy With the Arab Strap," and lead singer Stewart Murdoch even goes down to the audience to get them to sing along to "Dirty Dream #2’s" second verse. At the end of this set, Beck asks us, "Did they take care of the bees?" I reply "It looks like it". Yes, the bees have been removed. Next up at the Outdoor Theatre is British chill-out electronica duo Zero 7, who like Mos Def, thankfully have a full band with them, including all three of the vocalisst featured on the band’s debut album, Simple Things. Most celebrated Zero 7 vocalist, Sia, seems incredibly excited to be performing at the festival, and the group has a nice, late-evening vibe.

Belle and Sebastian

Finally, it is time for second night headliners, Oasis, to finish things off. The Gallagher brothers swagger on stage to the signature playback of "Fuckin’ in the Bushes". The band surprisingly play lots off their debut album, Definitely Maybe (including "Rock ‘n’ Roll Star"), and highlight new songs off the Heathen Chemistry album, which was yet to be released at the time. Liam displays his usual rock-star attitude, spitting on the stage and continually complaining to sound guys. The band seem bored though, and so does the audience. The Main Stage field is barely half full, be it because of festival goers wanting to beat traffic jams or America’s increasing indifference to the band. We too begin to slowly leave as Oasis closes out their set with a well-worn cover of The Beatles "I Am the Walrus". Although this year’s lineup didn’t have anyone as exciting as Spiritualized (who graced the outdoor tent in 1999), and Coachella will probably never have a bill to rival U.K. festivals like Glastonbury and Reading, it was still a remarkable improvement over 2001’s dud event. A word to organizers: next year get Radiohead, Doves, Primal Scream, The Flaming Lips, Lift To Experience, Massive Attack and Supergrass; as well as alum Sigur Ros, Spiritualized and The (International) Noise Conspiracy, and you’ll be in good shape.

Oasis