Coachella 2011 Day 1 Recap: Kings of Leon, The Black Keys, Gayngs, Robyn, Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill

Hot Day in the Desert

Early on, Hurts and New Pants took slightly different approaches to synthesized pop. Brit poppers Hurts did a solid job keeping a patient groove. The band wore tuxedos and were somewhat awkwardly accompanied by a back-up opera singer who mostly stood motionless through each song. Chinese synth pop act New Pants were less effective, a bit too mid tempo to get a crowd of casual onlookers dancing in the one o’clock sun.

Black Joe Lewis and the Honybears, an export from Austin Texas, rocked with funky soul power as the day progressed. Dirty garage rock guitars and a small horn section gave them just enough oomph to keep things lively.

On the dance rock front, !!! and Moving Units each had their own unique approach. While Moving Units seemed to put a bit more into their presentation (a very odd peacock mask) !!! (Chk Chk Chk) was all explosive funk power. The crowd was a bit unmoved for the first few songs, but the latter half of the set got them all moving. Frontman Nic Offer danced and grooved manically about the stage while the band wove their precision sonic tapestry. Offer proclaimed at the end of their set, “Three time reigning Coachella Chk Chk Chk!”

Hip-hop collective Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All had the hype coming into the festival to make a breakout performance, but fell a bit short. Technical problems delayed their sets start, and lead rapper Tyler, the Creator could be heard off stage saying, “Hey guys, sorry for the wait, but the sound guy for Coachella’s fucking up.” Once things were rolling the nine=member strong group, almost all of which around seventeen years old, took to the stage chanting their “Wolf Gang” slogan. However, it never really quite clicked with the crowd. They had the energy, but even a guest appearance by Pharrell Williams wasn’t enough to ignite this crowd.

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart did a solid job a little later on, cranking poppy alt rock in the vein of Matthew Sweet. Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti was a confusing and irritating mess. Frontman Ariel Pink spent the first few songs looking away from the crowd toward his drummer. Then, he proclaimed, “That’s it, we’re not playing anymore,” and ran off stage to the confusion of the rest of his band. After an awkward moment he returned, but essentially refused to sing leaving his keyboardist to try to approximate vocals for the next few songs. Regardless of the reason why this happened, this embarrassing display has no place on a festival of this caliber.

Primary main stage acts Interpol, The Black Keys and Kings of Leon all faired well, but save for the The Black Keys, they didn’t really bring the showmanship that playing in front of 20,000 people requires. Interpol and Kings of Leon both sounded technically perfect, but both did little to play to the crowd, or bring them into the show. They both stood in place, playing song after song without saying much in between. A good time for sure, but this slot needs something a little more to really enrapture the crowd. The Black Keys on the other hand played a little looser, eschewing any stiffness by showing their emotion in their performance. Their garage-y blues rock had just enough swing to keep it from being bland.

The night ended off with a strong performance by Robyn and an even stronger performance by supergroup Gayngs. Robyn took her songs and drew them out to even longer sequenced dance workouts, keeping the crowd excited and dancing throughout the set. Her voice was a little shakey at times, but nobody present seemed to mind. This set was a sure sign that Robyn’s time has come in the U.S., although she did look a bit like a jazzercise instructer in her outfit. Gayngs was probably the strongest act of day one. Having no fewer than twelve members on stage playing various keyboards, guitars and brass instruments, their chilled out sound is an inspiring mix of retro Motown-era and modern indie styles. Frontman Ryan Olson lead everything like a pro should, while Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon played guitar rocking a huge smile on his face. At times the band would have six vocalists harmonizing. Frequent guests Har Mar Superstar and rapper P.O.S. both made star-making appearances on a song. Here’s to hoping Gayngs isn’t just a short-lived side project. They have the goods to really make something special. (www.coachella.com)

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