A weekend in the desert

<hr></hr>Reviews compiled by Christie McCollum, Devon McReynolds and Edward Truong. E-mail them at cmccollum@media.ucla.edu, dmcreynolds@media.ucla.edu and etruong@media.ucla.edu.

<br></br>Gang Gang Dance

Saturday, Gobi Tent

Gang Gang Dance? More like “A Gang Gang I Want To Join.” GGD is kind of like Swedish electronic duo The Knife in their general electrocool-weirdness, but they’re way more approachable ““ they’re like your hippest friends’ genius band that you can brag about knowing. Drummer Tim DeWitt tore it up on his kit, as lead singer and supplementary drummer Lizzie Bougatsos banshee’d about the stage. The contrast between a layered performance like this and the monotonous thudding house beats heard from the nearby Sahara tent couldn’t have been more striking. You know what made this performance really great? Tunde Adebimpe, the charismatic singer from TV on the Radio, standing in the middle of the crowd amongst the plebeian concertgoers, taking pictures with his digital camera, grooving along with everybody else.

<hr></hr>”“ Devon McReynolds

<br></br>Fleet Foxes

Saturday, Outdoor Theatre

For a band that makes delicate, wintry songs from behind sweaters and beards, a set at a warm-weather music festival seems paradoxical. But when lead man Robin Pecknold began cooing fan favorite “Sun It Rises,” the appearance suddenly made sense. The soft, sorrowful intro to “Your Protector” blossomed into a whirlwind of guitars and harmonies, and “White Winter Hymnal” became an uptempo sing-along as the crowd reveled in the rounds. Midway through the set, Thievery Corporation’s mainstage performance began to permeate the Outdoor Theatre ““ mildly annoying, although the audience seemed to like that song from “Garden State.” Pecknold made a joke about it and moved on. Graceful, indeed. One of the best sets of the festival.

<hr></hr>”“ Christie McCollum

<br></br>The Killers

Saturday, Coachella Stage

While The Killers’ discography may pale in comparison to their headliner counterparts, the band performs as if they have been around for just as long as Sir Paul McCartney and The Cure. Lead singer Brandon Flowers brings dramatic gusto to each performance ““ the type of sweeping, epic histrionics usually reserved for 14-year-old girls at the “Twilight” premiere. While they lack some of the indie cred that earlier performers ““ such as TV on the Radio and Thievery Corporation ““ had, the crowd didn’t seem to mind. Recognizable hits such as “Mr. Brightside” and “All These Things That I’ve Done” were accompanied by fireworks, but the highlight of the show was their sublime cover of Joy Division’s “Shadowplay.”

<hr></hr>”“ Edward Truong

<br></br>The Ting Tings

Friday, Sahara Tent

British newcomers The Ting Tings shot to prominence when they were featured in trendy iPod commercials, and they only continued to gain recognition after the release of their debut album, “We Started Nothing.” Their music can be heard in episodes of “Gossip Girl” and ““ strangely enough ““ trailers for “Slumdog Millionaire.” The duo is comprised of Jules De Martino and Katie White, a U.K. version of Gwen Stefani, Paramore’s Hayley Williams or any other generic, sassy female lead singer. While their attitude shows in infectious tunes such as “Shut Up and Let Me Go” and “That’s Not My Name,” their influences and inspirations are more transparent than the shirt White was frolicking around in onstage.

<hr></hr>”“ Edward Truong

<br></br>M.I.A.

Saturday, Coachella Stage

Maya Arulpragasam seemed self-conscious Saturday night. After debuting at Coachella in 2005, M.I.A. was upgraded to the main stage this year, accompanied by a giant LCD background and a group of backup dancers armed with hundreds of highly irritating air horns. As the horns blasted throughout her set, she acknowledged her rise in prominence during the last four years ““ thus the new digs ““ but refuted any accusations that she has sold out. To prove this , she promised to shake things up, inviting everyone to join her onstage during her performance of “Bird Flu.” Hundreds of fans rushed up to join her and dance on stage, as the unsuspecting security staff freaked out. It was somewhat surreal and pretty cool, despite the air horns.

<hr></hr>”“ Edward Truong

<br></br>TV on the Radio

Saturday, Coachella Stage

As the sun set over Coachella on Saturday evening, the mood was perfectly, beautifully epic for a perfectly, beautifully epic band: TV on the Radio. Hailing from Brooklyn ““ duh ““ the band didn’t get nearly enough time to play much from their vast catalog, but it was enough to metaphorically transition from the day’s sweltering heat into the cool, lovely night. Highlights included the upbeat jam, “Wolf Like Me.” The set ended with a chilling, reworked version of “Staring at the Sun” right as the hot desert sun set behind the hills. If music festivals are supposed to elicit some sort of feeling of profound interconnectedness, this was how it happened. Amazing.

<hr></hr>”“ Devon McReynolds

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