Reykjavík Grapevine - 10.05.2013, Síða 28

28The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 5 — 2013
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Not that anyone is really in a bad
mood. It's the first day of Coachella,
the three-day festival that takes over
Indio, California every spring, draw-
ing tens of thousands of concertgo-
ers from around the world. This year
is the second time the event has
been held over two weekends, with
the festival basically repeating itself
a week later. Chances are everyone
will be a lot more tired by the time
it's all over, but right now it's just
getting started, and spirits are high.
Plus, we're hunkered down in an air-
conditioned trailer for the moment,
so there's little to complain about.
“It's sunny outside and hot, so
people must be in a good mood,”
drummer Arnar Rósenkranz Hilmars-
son says. “I expect the crowd to be
very happy—very open, warm, and
welcoming.”
OMAM ARE
HOT, HOT, HOT
It's a good prediction. By the time
Of Monsters and Men hit the stage
a few hours later, spirits are quite
high, indeed. A rapturous crowd
welcomes the band to the festival's
Outdoor Stage—the second largest
of the six stages simultaneously
hosting artists around the site—and
proceeds to reinforce the group's
rapidly growing popularity in North
America. Many fans sing along word
for word to tracks like "Little Talks,"
"King and Lionheart," and "From
Finner," with the lyrical refrain from
the latter song ringing especially
true in this most un-Icelandic of
places: "We are far from home / But
we're so happy."
It's actually all a bit surreal for
a group that never really had any
visions of success outside its home
country. "We were just making a
record in Iceland. We didn't think
anything was going to happen,"
frontman Ragnar Þórhallsson said
earlier in the day. Now, not only are
they playing for international fans
across the globe, but they're also
getting to share the bill with some
of their own favourite artists. In fact,
their now standard live take on the
Yeah Yeah Yeahs "Skeleton" has a
special significance today, as Karen
O and company will be hitting the
main stage themselves in just a few
more hours for another one of the
weekend's must-see sets.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs are just one
of the acts the band rattles off on
a list of artists they're excited to
see, which also includes Blur, Earl
Sweatshirt, and Grizzly Bear. And
because of the fact that the festival
will repeat a week later, anyone they
miss this time around can still be
caught next time. Although, with
more than 100 acts on the bill, it's
still impossible to see everyone,
even if you're there twice.
SIGUR RÓS MESMERISE
THE CROWD
Mixing marquee-name headlin-
ers with up-and-coming acts,
while spanning genres, eras, and
nationalities, Coachella is one of the
most diverse festivals around. This
year's line-up includes everyone
from Wu-Tang Clan and a reunited
Stone Roses to indie darlings like
Grimes, Alt-J, and Tame Impala.
And Of Monsters and Men weren't
the only Icelandic act on the bill;
the following night, Sigur Rós took
to the very same stage to close out
the second day with an epic set that
resounded mesmerizingly through
the darkened desert.
The temperature drops consid-
erably when the sun goes down
in the valley, meaning that by the
time the band brought its flickering
lights and windswept sounds to the
stage, the environment was ideal
for a soundtrack of epic stature.
Which is exactly what Jónsi and his
bandmates (and their numerous ad-
ditional musicians) unleashed into
the night air. Mixing older favourites
with the astoundingly intense and
uncharacteristically aggressive first
salvos from upcoming album ‘Kvei-
kur,’ Sigur Rós not only established
their place as a major highlight dur-
ing a day that also included standout
performances from Bat For Lashes,
Janelle Monae, and Portugal. The
Man, but also boldly declared their
musical rebirth to an enchanted fan
base clearly ravenous for more.
DRIVEN AWAY BY
A SANDSTORM
If there was a downside to the first
weekend at all, it was the abrupt
windstorm that struck late in the
evening on the third and final day,
kicking up dirt and sand to a degree
that saw many concertgoers wrap-
ping scarves around their faces for
protection, and others simply giving
up and heading for the exits (only to
brave even more intense sand as-
saults in the unpaved parking areas).
Of course, by that point, everyone
was three-days in, and an early
departure didn't seem like the worst
idea. Unless, that is, you really, re-
ally wanted to see the Red Hot Chili
Peppers.
All in all, it was another success
for the team behind the increasingly
globally renowned event, and if any-
one was breathing a sigh of relief
when it was all over, it was only for
a moment. In less than a week, it
would be time to do it all over again.
- Doug Levy
Ice And Sand
Sigur Rós & Of Monsters And Men Storm Coachella 2013
It's not often that most Icelanders find themselves in the middle of the
desert. Of Monsters and Men's Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir isn't quite sure
how to handle it. "It's horrible," she says. "We're all trying to find shade."
Photos: Dan Busta
“Un-
less, that
is, you really,
really wanted to
see the Red Hot
Chili Pep-
pers.”
Music
CONCERT
R E V I E W
CONCERT
R E
The answer to the trivia question is A) Is it True?