Coachella Day 3, 17th April 2011

Coachella 2011, Day 3

No visit to Coachella is complete without a ride on the Ferris Wheel. The desert setting, surrounded by mountains really is special, and whilst these pictures were taken early in the afternoon, even later on it wasn't as crowded as I feared from reports from 2010.

fun.

fun. performed in the heat of the afternoon, but Nate Ruess wasn't lacking in enthusiasm, and even sung a Queen cover (Radio Ga-ga). There's nothing profound about fun., but they got people dancing in the searing heat, and it was perfect festival material.

Angus and Julia Stone

I enjoyed this Australian sibling collaboration Angus and Julia Stone sufficiently to want to download their albums upon my return: it's acoustic and the impression left with me was beauty as they sung about love.

Ellie Goulding

I have to admit that I found Ellie Goulding disappointing: she failed to really galvanise the crowd and her pop fell flat. Others have spoken more highly of her live, so I can only assume this was an off day. Perhaps this Brit couldn't cope with the heat.

Fistful of Mercy

Fistful of Mercy were one of my highlights of Cochella, although the two thirds full Mojave tent suggested others had overlooked this inspiring, heart warming act. The supergroup comprises Joseph Arthur, Ben Harper, and George Harrison's son Dhani with Jessie Brady on violin. The three singing together in harmony were amazing, and the set was largely acoustic and utterly touching and musical. Wonderfully inspiring.

The National

As the pictures show, The National, like Bright Eyes the day before, had the sunset slot, and their emotional, melancholy and deeply moving music was in harmony with the setting. They played largely from the sublime High Violet album, although there were a couple of songs from Boxer and Alligator. It almost scaled the heights of Arcade Fire, and whilst Sunday wasn't quite as strong a line-up musically as Saturday, I would have felt fulfilled if this had been the only act I'd seen on the final day of Coachella. The sound was utterly professional, but also affected me deeply emotionally, and there's no more I can ask than this. 'England' almost had me in tears (nothing to do with my nationality). We were even treated to a guest appearance by Bon Iver for the closer 'Terrible Love'.

Neon Trees

Neon Trees were an expected highlight for me, and they played as if their life depended on it, even throwing items of clothing into the audience. They are theatrical, and really got the audience dancing. Highlights were Animal, 1983 and Habits. Kayne West doesn't hold much appeal to me, and this was a far more inspiring way to end Coachella.

Roll on Coachella 2012!