Coachella: Best of Weekend 2, Day 1

Our friends at LA Weekly and OC Weekly are at Coachella again. Here's what they're up to. It's "hot, sultry and steamy," they say. Here's the best of what they saw Friday.

Timothy Norris

Other Lives:
Amidst the day's scorching heat -- when most sane people were asleep in their tents or at a fancy pool party -- a crowd settled in onto the shady, grassy grounds of the Gobi stage for Other Lives. It's a testament to Other Lives' elegant third album,Tamer Animals, that people packed the tent to hear their opus about the dust bowl.

The mini-five-piece band picked up any and every instrument near them and, like whirling Tasmanian devils, became their own orchestra. At the helm was the shaggy-haired Jesse Tabish and his hauntingly sad vocals. The highlight was the closer "Dustbowl III," a spaghetti western-inspired epic which fit perfectly up against the desert brutal sun and the swirling grit. -- Molly Bergen

Pulp: Considering that before Coachella the Jarvis Cocker-fronted Pulp hadn't played L.A. since the freaking '90s, their twilight performance yesterday was quite anticipated. Having re-formed in 2011 after a nine-year hiatus, Pulp showed no signs of rust; they were on fire throughout their 45-minute set, which featured a surprise appearance by former member Antony Genn, now the bassist for The Hours.

Mark Webber's incredible guitar solo during "Sunrise" was the musical highlight of the night, leaving thousands of people gasping, believe it or not. If that wasn't enough, a badass version of "Common People" closed out the set, converting anyone who wasn't already a fan. -- Daniel Kohn

The Girl With the Badass Tattoo: At Coachella last week, folks were throwing on leather bombers; yesterday, even a string bikini was probably a little much, as the temperature topped 100. We'd just been at Kendrick Lamar's show -- where a dude was holding a big block of ice on his head -- when we got caught in a pocket of heat underneath the Sahara tent.

We ducked out to cool off, and that's when we spotted this tattoo: "I want to drink the melted water of an ice cube that seeps on your body." With so much sweat and stench, the idea of sex was not appealing, but the ice cube reference was. We bet plenty of couples camping out last night agreed. -- Rebecca Haithcoat