Coachella Festival '23 Preview: Ones to Watch

photo: Lance Gerber, courtesy Goldenvoice

If you're looking for to plot an early course for your Coachella this week or next, look below for a quick primer that also runs in the Coachella Valley's Desert Star Weekly newspaper...

Music writers George A. Paul and Robert Kinsler each highlight some of their must-see artists coming to the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. Taking place over consecutive weekends at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, it will be held April 14-16 and again April 21-23, 2023. This year's headliners are Bad Bunny, BLACKPINK, and Frank Ocean. There are countless emerging and established artists performing this year.

Fridays, April 14 and 21

photo by Rob Roth

Blondie – Led by Deborah Harry, the eclectic and influential pop/rock band emerged from NYC in the ‘70s. Best known for Billboard chart toppers “Heart of Glass,” “Call Me,” “The Tide is High” and “Rapture,” plus “One Way or Another,” “Hanging on the Telephone” and “Dreaming,” Blondie’s music is frequently covered and heard in commercials, movies, and TV shows. Since a late ‘90s reunion, the sextet has released four studio albums. 2017’s Pollinator featured Joan Jett, Johnny Marr and Sia collaborations. The excellent Grammy-nominated box set Against the Odds: 1974-1982 arrived last year. GP

Chemical Brothers - Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons performed on Day 1 of the first Coachella in 1999. This writer recalls it being a mind-blowing performance. A leading light in the electronica movement, the British duo formed while Manchester University students, first gained attention as DJs and then put out full-length debut Exit Planet Dust in 1995. Through the years, the Chemical Brothers became sought-after remixers and tapped an impressive array of guest vocalists – Noel Gallagher, Bernard Sumner, Beck, Tim Burgess, Bobbie Gillespie, Wayne Coyne, Richard Ashcroft, and St. Vincent among them – to appear on their albums. 2019’s No Geography won a Grammy. GP

courtesy Nasty Little Man PR

Gorillaz — Since singer/multi-instrumentalist Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett formed Gorillaz in 1998, the collective has proven to be the world's most important and enduring virtual band. The English ensemble records genre-blending original music that is distributed via a myriad of channels including music videos, interviews, short cartoons, digital media and live performances. The band's parade of groundbreaking hits includes "Clint Eastwood," "19-2000," "Feel Good Inc." and "Kids With Guns." Gorillaz' outstanding 2023 album Cracker Island features far-flung collaborations with Stevie Nicks, Tame Impala, Bad Bunny, Beck and many more; the album is one of the most exciting albums of early 2023. RK

Wet Leg — Rising British indie rock duo Wet Leg feature Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers. Although their appearances at Coachella may be their introduction to many area concertgoers, their 2022 self-titled debut album landed at number one on the UK Album Charts, Australia's ARIA Albums Chart and the Irish Albums Chart. Thanks to instantly-infectious tracks such as "Wet Dream," "Angelica" and New Wave-styled "Chaise Lounge," it's likely they will have large crowds moving with the music at their two performances in Indio. RK

Saturdays, April 15 and 22

The Breeders – Originally a side project for Pixies bassist Kim Deal (Throwing Muses’ Tonya Donelly was a member on first album Pod in 1990), alt-rockers the Breeders became a full-time endeavor for Deal once her main band broke up. Sophomore effort Last Splash went platinum in ’93 on the back of top 5 modern rock radio hit “Cannonball,” as well as “Divine Hammer” and “Saints.” The following year, they appeared at Lollapalooza. Various members came and went during the 2000s, but the classic lineup with Kelley Deal, Josephine Wiggs and Jim MacPherson has been together since 2012. Courtney Barnett guested on 2018’s All Nerve. GP

photo by Zac Farro

The Linda Lindas — Los Angeles-based power-punk band Linda Lindas is comprised of two sisters, a cousin and their close friend. The energetic quartet successfully mines some of the best punk, New Wave and alt rock instincts of the late 1970s and early '80s. The explosive "Growing Up" (the title track off their 2022 Epitaph Records debut) captures the youthful spirit of teenagers moving into young adulthood while holding fast to their friendships, the propulsive sound recalling early tracks from the Go-Go's and the Muffs. Just as infectious is the punk rocker "Oh!," a track that recalls the sonic spirit of early Devo or the B-52's. Equally intoxicating is the shimmering indie rocker "Magic." All four members of the Linda Lindas (Bela Salazar, Eloise Wong, Lucia de la Garza and Mila de la Garza) provide lead and backing vocals. RK

Sundays, April 16 and 23

photo: Vidar Logi

Björk – The unique singer put Icelandic rock music on the map with The Sugarcubes’ 1988 debut Life’s Too Good. When that group dissolved in 1992, Björk went onto much bigger success as a solo artist. Her run of gold and platinum albums during that decade spawned such alt-rock and dance hits here as “Human Behavior,” “Big Time Sensuality,” “Army of Me” and “All is Full of Love.” Björk’s concerts are always a fascinating visual spectacle – like when she appeared on the Coachella main stage in 2007. The presentation for last year’s intriguing avant-pop effort Fossora should be no different. GP

Weyes Blood — Weyes Blood — the moniker for American singer-songwriter Natalie Laura Mering — is appearing at Coachella in the wake of her outstanding 2022 album And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow. The songstress' style draws comparisons with the celebrated likes of Aimee Mann, Karen Carpenter, Joni Mitchell and Harry Nilsson; indeed her singularly beautiful mix of soft rock and chamber pop completely immerses the listener with layers of vocal and instrumental magic. It's clear original gems such as "It's Not Just Me, It's Everybody," "Children of the Empire," "God Turn Me Into a Flower," "Hearts Aglow" and "A Given Thing" will create a marvelous moodscape at Coachella. RK