Lana Del Rey was joined by Billie Eilish and Jon Batiste during her rapturously received and beautifully staged headline performance on the Friday night of Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival 2024.
Today (13 April) will see Tyler, the Creator top the bill, with Doja Cat set to close the festival on Sunday. The second weekend takes place from Friday 19 April to Sunday 21 April, with the same artists performing at both shows.
Earlier on Friday there were performances from rising Mexican singer Peso Pluma, rapper Lil Uzi Vert, French dance act Justice and a history-making set from K-pop boyband Ateez. Shakira made a surprise appearance during DJ bizarrap’s set, and announced a new world tour while she was there.
Asides from its reputation for drawing influencers, many celebrities have been known to attend the event over the years, with Vanessa Hudgens being unofficially dubbed the Queen of Coachella.
The festival also includes some must-see art installations, food and drink, and immersive experiences for ticket holders, which you can read about here.
Happy No Doubt day!
Today’s the day Gwen Stefani and the rest of Californian punks No Doubt reform nearly a decade after they last played together.
Start getting excited with this exploration of the writing of one of their greatest hits, “Don’t Speak”:
Story of the song: ‘Don’t Speak’, No Doubt, 1996
When Gwen Stefani walked into the Anaheim house she shared with her brother and bandmates, she heard Eric Stefani playing a tender piano figure that stopped her in her tracks. The pair immediately set about writing the song that would become “Don’t Speak”. Gwen gushed out some lyrics: “I can see it all in an eye blink/ I know everything about how you are/ I can understand exactly how you think/ Between you and me, it’s not very far.” The verses celebrated Gwen’s long-standing relationship with her bassist, Tony Kanal. It was a pretty, if lyrically unexceptional, love song; unusual for a band more noted for an energetic ska-pop. Melodically, though, it sounded like a hit. “The vibes were there, the chorus was almost exactly perfect,” said the band’s guitarist, Tom Dumont.
Kevin Perry13 April 2024 18:08
Don’t forget the sunscreen!
If you’re heading in to the Coachella site today, my colleague Olivia Hebert has rounded up some essential survival tips.
“As someone who has been there and done that, there are certain must-haves and things to avoid that I certainly would’ve benefited from knowing as a first-timer and not-so-seasoned festival attendee,” she writes. “First and foremost, whatever you’re wearing truly doesn’t matter. You will most likely give up on looking somewhat chic by day three, and may resort to wearing an ill-fitting band tee and cutoffs and call it a day.”
Read the full story here:
Kevin Perry13 April 2024 17:08
Maya Jama drinks pink gin and parties with friends at Coachella
Speaking of celebrities, Love Island presenter Maya Jama looked to be having the time of her life at the festival in a series of Instagram stories she posted on Friday. Here’s a peek:
Kevin Perry13 April 2024 16:15
The best and worst dressed celebrities and influencers
Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s coverage of Saturday at Coachella 2024. We’re still recovering from Lana Del Rey’s epic headline performance last night, so here’s something fun to get us started today: my colleague Brittany Miller has rounded up all the best (and worst) dressed celebs and influencers from this year’s festival so far. Check out the full gallery here:
Kevin Perry13 April 2024 16:10
That’s a wrap for Friday!
That’s all for Friday night at Coachella! We’ve had a packed day, with headliner Lana Del Rey capping it all with a wonderful, career-spanning set, a crowd-pleasing cameo from Billie Eilish and a stylish exit the same way she came in – on the back of a motorcycle.
Join us back here tomorrow where we’ll be covering the headline set from Tyler, the Creator, seeing how Britpop survivors Blur go down with an American audience in 2024 and – a personal favourite – looking forward to seeing what the reformed No Doubt have to offer.
There’ll be much more to talk about tomorrow too, but until then we’re off to celebrate like our new favourite boyband Ateez. Cheers!
Kevin Perry13 April 2024 09:04
Here’s Billie!
The rumours were true! Billie Eilish is here to duet with Lana on (Eilish’s) “Ocean Eyes” and (Del Rey’s) “Video Games”.
Kevin Perry13 April 2024 08:38
Lana’s special guest is… Jon Batiste
There had been rumours about Billie Eilish and Taylor Swift, but the first special guest to appear onstage with Lana Del Rey is pianist and composer Jon Batiste. The pair collaborated on “Candy Necklace” from Del Rey’s 2023 album Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd andthey perform the slow, seductive ballad together, largely with Del Rey sat atop Batiste’s piano.
Kevin Perry13 April 2024 08:30
Lana reprises her Sublime cover
Lana Del Rey covered Cali reggae trailblazers Sublime’s “Doin’ Time” on her 2019 album Norman F***ing Rockwell, and it’s fitting that she perform the song live for the first time since that year tonight. Tomorrow, Sublime (with the late Brad Nowell’s son Jakob taking up the mantle) will play this same stage.
Kevin Perry13 April 2024 07:58
Suki Waterhouse covers Oasis
One for the Britpop fans: Suki Waterhouse delivered this impressive cover of the 1996 Oasis classic “Don’t Look Back In Anger” earlier tonight:
Kevin Perry13 April 2024 07:51
Lana Del Rey gets on her bike
Lana Del Rey arrived in style for her Coachella headline set tonight – astride the back of a motorcycle, followed by a team of dancers travelling in similar style. She opened by playing “Without You” for the first time since 2014.
Kevin Perry13 April 2024 07:29