Coachella seemed to be the proper happy ending to this indie-band fairytale, right? Five L.A. lads form a band, rent a house and make some music. Their songs are laced with perfectly-pitched harmonies, inescapably catchy rhythms and epic-esque melodies. They book shows at neighborhood lounges, then sell out holiday fundraisers. Suddenly, said band (with their effortlessly-coiffed facial hair and worn in skinny jeans) make it big and achieve the impossible SoCal musical dream
— they book Coachella.
It quickly became apparent though, from the get-go of their 2 p.m. Sunday set, that this wasn’t an end by any means for the Local Natives, but a mere milestone in their budding career. "This is awesome," said a very gracious Taylor Rice to an impressively packed Gobi tent. Yet, even for a fan as big as me, I worried whether they could handle the "heat" (after all, it’s Coachella). With only a few minor sound problems in their way, the humble quintet did what they do best and did it well —
they drove their three-part harmonies home and rocked their polyrhythmic orchestration the way their fans (some smeared with tribal paint across their faces) knew they could c/o their debut album Gorilla Manor. And though we wouldn’t say this is their last desert fest appearance, the guys played as though there was no guarantee of a next time, from the opening strings of "Wide Eyes" to the shouting choruses of "Sun Hands." We can’t wait to see what’s ahead for our Silverlake sweethearts, but we know it’s big, and after what most people have been calling their "breakout performance," we know the Local Natives are more than up for challenge. –Sara Tan