Everyone gets to Coachella by the time headliner Lana Del Rey comes on Friday night. Her 11:40 p.m. start is almost Saturday, after all.
But if you sleep in, hang at the pool, take all day picking your ‘fit, we’ll, you will miss a lot of musical moments that might have entertained you, confused you, moved your body, or changed your life.
Our team worked hard Friday covering the 2024 Coachella Valley Music and Arts festival. Here are a some of the musical highlights, moments to remember on Day 1
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The Afro-Cuban funk singer Cimafunk played the first set of the day in the Gobi tent, and if you were there, well, you didn’t stand still, that’s for sure.
Were the lyrics in Spanish? Yes. Did it matter? Not when the grooves are this funky, and the front man as charismatic as this one. By the time his shirt came off, we were in love. With the music.
— Peter Larsen
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What are the odds the first two acts in Gobi would both feature women … on trombone? Kokoroko, an Afropop meets jazz ensemble from London followed Cimafunk, and while the music was more chill, the horn section here was all women as it had been for the previous band.
— Peter Larsen
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The Sonora Tent, renowned for showcasing emerging punk and indie acts under the guidance of Renee Contreras from Viva! Pomona, featured the shoegaze and grunge rock vibes of Narrow Head mid afternoon. Fronted by Jacob Duarte and supported by Carson Wilcox, William Menjivar, Ryan Chavez, and Kora Puckett, the band channels ‘90s grunge with a gritty edge, drawing inspiration from My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, as well as hardcore acts like Hum and Failure.
Narrow Head’s 35-minute set came in with the energy of fury and marked the bands Coachella debut. Duarte didn’t shy away from his use of metal screams and heavy vocal lines between tracks like “Nodding Off,” “Ashtray,” and “Nervous Habit.” Initially seeking refuge from the heat, attendees soon found themselves transformed into fans, igniting impromptu mosh pits and even staging daring dives as the set progressed. Since its formation in 2013, Narrow Head has been steadily ascending the ranks of rock, poised to become a cornerstone of the shoegaze genre.
— Holly Alvarado
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The Japanese House performs during the the first weekend of the Coachella Music and Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club on Friday, April 12, 2024, in Indio, Calif. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP)
The Japanese House, the stage name of British indie pop singer-songwriter Amber Marie Bain, came on stage with her band to play to a big crowd in Mojave … then called for a do-over.
“You know what, we’re going to pretend this never happened,” Bain said as technical issues frustrated here. “We’re going off stage, get this fixed, and come back on.”
Fifteen minutes of her 40-minute set passed before The Japanese House returned, and even then, while Bain gamely dealt with more tech issues while singing lovely versions of “Sad To Breathe,” “Something Has To Change,” and more.
And she wasn’t the only artist to struggle with first-day problems. Kokoroko was similarly delayed getting started, and Late Night Drive Home did its first number without a working microphone for its singer.
Later, pop singer Sabrina Carpenter had trouble with the pedals of her piano — was was setup in the trunk of a car on stage for some reason — but told her tech guy and the audience at the Main Stage it was probably die to her five-inch heels.
— Peter Larsen
