Blur, Stone Roses kick off Coachella

Fray guitarist receives encouragement from U2

INDIO, Calif, April 13, (Agencies): British bands kicked off Southern California’s annual Coachella music festival on Friday, with Blur and The Stone Roses taking to the stage, while a surprise video from French duo Daft Punk had fans abuzz.

Blur, who led a new wave of rock-infused Britpop in the 1990s and recently reunited after a sixyear hiatus, brought their trademark no-frills style to the Coachella main stage on Friday evening.

Lead singer Damon Albarn, who last performed at Coachella with animated music group Gorillaz in 2010, quipped about the sunny desert climate weather, saying: “A lot of our songs have been informed by our bad weather ... it’s very nice to enjoy your sunshine.”

The reunited band, formed by Albarn, Graham Coxon, Alex James and Dave Rowntree, performed some of their best known hits including “Girls & Boys”, “Beetlebum”, “Coffee & TV” and the rabble-rousing “Parklife” and “Song 2”. Albarn also slowed the tempo with tracks such as “Out of Time” and “Tender”.

Blur were followed by The Stone Roses — comprising Ian Brown, John Squire, Mani and Reni — who kept the show going until past midnight at the festival, with hits including “I Wanna Be Adored” and a long rendition of “Fools Gold”.

Surprises

Known for springing surprises on the unsuspecting audience, Coachella has often produced moments in past festivals that cap- tured media attention, such as a hologram of late rapper Tupac appearing on stage and performing last year.

Eager to keep the tradition of surprises alive, a teaser music video by Daft Punk shown prior to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ set on Friday had audiences excited for an appearance from the French duo, who were not on the Coachella line-up this year.

Album

The two-minute video showed R&B artist Pharrell Williams singing a new song by Daft Punk called “Get Lucky”, from their highly anticipated upcoming album “Random Access Memories”.

Daft Punk, formed by French musicians Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, last performed at Coachella in 2006 and in the United States in 2010, as a surprise guest for French band Phoenix’s show at Madison Square Gardens in New York.

The teaser video on Friday suggested Daft Punk may once again join Phoenix, who will headline Coachella on Saturday.

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs were one of the most-talked about bands on Friday as lead singer Karen O fronted a lively, dynamic and electric set, featuring their hits “Sacrilege”, “Maps” and “Gold Lion”.

Earlier in the day, British artists such as James McCartney, son of former Beatle Paul McCartney, indie-rock quartet Alt-J, indie-folk singer-songwriter Jake Bugg and BBC Radio 1 DJ Pete Tong fronted Coachella’s many outdoor stages.

Other highlights included Modest Mouse, Passion Pit, Icelandic folk group Of Monsters and Men, Trent Reznor’s newest venture How to Destroy Angels and Canadian sister duo Tegan & Sara.

The Coachella Valley Arts and Music Festival is an annual threeday music event held in the desert of Southern California, and has become a launch pad for up-andcoming bands.

Newcomers The Neighbourhood, an indie-rock band from Newbury Park in Southern California, were one of the first bands to perform on Friday, and lead singer Jesse Rutherford told Reuters how important Coachella was as they prepare to launch their debut album “I Love You” on April 23.

“What I hope for it doing is really helping us launch our album and career ... I want it to be that people who didn’t see us are left wanting to see us,” Rutherford said.

Also: NEW YORK: Fray guitarist Joe King recently found out how supportive U2 can be when he sent his new single to the band.

After listening to “Need a Woman by Friday,” King said Bono told him in an email: “I need a song like this every Friday.”

“It’s just encouraging to get that kind of response from people you respect and look up to,” King said with a wide grin in an interview last week.

It all started when he sent a copy of the track to the band and thanked the veteran rockers — specifically The Edge — for making him aware of New Orleans phenom Trombone Shorty, who plays on the new song.

But King says he was surprised by U2’s love for the track. His relationship with the band started a few years ago when The Fray opened up for U2 during a tour.

“They’re two of the greatest songwriters in the world,” King said of Bono and The Edge. “When we toured with U2 they would take us to dinner. They would talk with us about (being) creative and writing, being a band and being songwriters.”

U2 covered “The Saints Are Coming” with Trombone Shorty for a Hurricane Katrina benefit. King’s new song is from his debut EP, “Breaking,” out April 23. He said his Grammy-nominated band, known for the hits “Over My Head (Cable Car),” ‘“How to Save a Life” and “You Found Me,” has already started writing songs for their fourth album and plans to go into the studio in June.

King said collaborating with Trombone Shorty musically has evolved into a great friendship. He says he appreciates learning from other performers — especially U2.

“I think musicians need advice all the time. Being in the music business, it’s like being in a pinball machine, and you are the ball, and the paddle is like your label and your management and you’re going everywhere,” he said. “So as much as you can get grounded with those people, then it’s essential to being sane and continuing to be creative and inspired.”