Austinist Spring Road Trip: Coachella, Day Two

Following Kasabian were NY's The Bravery, the current hipster obsession that we'd run into last night at the Urb party. They started things off well with an enthusiastic performance of Unconditional, but after which an equipment malfunction effectively crippled the band, leaving lead singer Sam Endicott to crack weak jokes and threaten to play Led Zeppelin covers in the interim. They did perform an early U2 song, which sounded eerily spot-on as Endicott's voice often mimics Bono's. After fixing whatever problem they were having, they cycled through the rest of their self-titled album. We were impressed with guitarist Michael Zakarin's axe-magic and the way he held his mouth agape while nodding in sync with the drumbeat, and both the drummer and bassist managed competent performances as well. The vocals, on the other hand, were weak - almost to the point of inaudibility at times - and Endicott's punk gesticulations (thrashing feet whilst lying on stage floor singing) made us think that perhaps he'd watched one too many Blink-182 videos. Overall at times it seems as though the band tries too hard, bu perhaps with time these guys will find their own identity. We certainly hope so, as there are moments, if fleeting, of brilliance in their LP. Few will dispute that it's catchy.

After a short dinner break, we pushed as far forward to the Outdoor Theatre stage as we could get for the Arcade Fire. Imagine upwards of a dozen musicians onstage with a wide assortment of instruments that they constantly rotate playing on, with everyone contributing to the vocals. This is the phenomenon that is the Arcade Fire, and we can't properly describe them here much in the same way the stage on which they perform can't properly contain their extraordinary spectacle. They employed all manner of resonant devices to function as drums, whether it be the hardwood floor, a motorcycle helmet, even at one point scaling the posts anchoring the stage roof to pound feverishly on the metal surface. We finally understood why people were willing to shell out $150 on Craigslist just to see these guys perform: they were totally brilliant. Over the course of their high-powered set they rocketed us deep into the frontiers of outer space, and when they finished off with our personal anthem "Rebellion (Lies)", we were left wondering how we'd ever find our way home.

Good things come in pairs, or so we're led to believe as the Arcade Fire was followed immediately by New Order. These Manchester rock legends, despite their advanced age, played a sensational set of new and classic songs, even delving into the Joy Division library to extract songs we obsess over such as "Transmission" and "Love Will Tear Us Apart". We never thought we'd ever hear "Bizarre Love Triangle" performed live by its creators. Face it, these guys were the original scenesters and progenitors of today's indie rock scene. Based on their new album, Waiting For the Siren's Call, we see them enjoying a renaissance and winning over a whole new generation of music lovers.

Now well into the night, we were stunned by British Sea Power's energetic performance. We're fans of both their albums, but based on what we heard tonight they should consider firing their studio producer and finding someone who can properly record their sound. These guys are seriously underrated.

Next up was The Faint, of the Saddle Creek label and from Nebraska. Their wicked beats, galvanic bass line and surprising incorporation of classical string instruments conspire to create a sound that is wholly original, a sort of synthrock with techno stylings.

Closing the night was a performance by Bright Eyes, now on their Digital Ash in a Digital Urn tour. Onstage, singer-songwriter Conor Oberst combines his mammoth band with a projected screen display synchronized to the music, to the effect of a very expensive iTunes Visualizer. There's surely a message to be found in the content and medium, but we were too busy gawking at the pretty pictures.

Tomorrow we'll recap and compare this festival with our very own SXSW. Tonight we need some much needed rest.