Coachella heavy on indie rock nostalgia, Taylor Swift buzz

THE second day of Coachella was heavy on alt-rock throwbacks, including a highly anticipated No Doubt reunion, but it was Taylor Swift – who wasn’t on the line-up and didn’t perform – creating buzz on Saturday (Apr 13).

Her mere presence at the mammoth festival in the California desert set the Internet alight, after she made a much-speculated appearance – as a fan – canoodling and dancing with beau Travis Kelce as Bleachers performed a rollicking set.

The rock band is fronted by Jack Antonoff, Swift’s friend and long-time producer.

Kelce’s blocking skills came in handy; the NFL tight end – standing almost two metres tall – did well to obscure his wildly famous girlfriend from view, as the couple enjoyed the show from just offstage.

Still, an AFP journalist saw the lovebirds twirling and singing along during the performance of Antonoff, who has co-written and produced several of Swift’s albums.

Fan videos quickly started circulating online. Swift’s cameo comes less than a week before her forthcoming album, The Tortured Poets Department, drops on Friday.

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Shortly after the Bleachers set, Swift and Kelce were caught by fan cameras as they stood in the VIP section for a bombastic performance from Ice Spice, the Bronx rapper who collaborated on a remix of Swift’s Karma.

The crowd went berserk when Ice Spice shouted out her megastar pal – but she performed Karma on her own with a backing track, giving Swift the chance to watch a rendition of her own song from the vantage point of the crowd.

The 34-year-old billionaire is currently on break from her blockbuster Eras tour.

Some fans had speculated Swift might join friend and fellow Antonoff associate Lana Del Rey as she headlined Friday’s opening night.

Tyler, the Creator headlined the festival on Saturday; Doja Cat was set to close out the first weekend’s shows on Sunday.

Alt-rock roots and Paris Hilton

Coachella started as a rock festival, but in recent years it has leaned increasingly into pop, rap and the Latino megastars who rule the streaming charts.

But Saturday’s line-up offered a portrait of nostalgia: No Doubt – the group fronted by Gwen Stefani – played together for the first time in 15 years.

Stefani, 54, bounded across the stage boasting the vocals of her youth, leading the crowd in sing-alongs of the group’s classics including Just A Girl and Don’t Speak.

English rockers Blur also took the stage, and stoner reggae rock group Sublime – the 1990s act beloved for hits including Santeria – drew throngs of fans to the main stage for a sunset performance, featuring the late frontman Brad Nowell’s son Jakob leading the way.

Vampire Weekend made a last-minute return to the desert, having last performed there more than a decade ago.

The veteran indie rockers – whose hits include Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa – were brought in just last week. Frontman Ezra Koenig, who sported a striped Pogues sweatshirt, told cheering fans he had been leaning back sipping ranch water – a cocktail of seltzer, tequila and lime – in Texas when he got a text asking if they would come on board.

The group just released their fifth album, Only God Was Above Us, and played a mix of fan favourites and new work, including a 15-minute honky-tonk mash-up.

They also randomly brought Paris Hilton onstage to play a quick round of cornhole – a popular North American bean bag-based lawn game – as part of a giveaway of chocolate for front-row fans.

“I haven’t played this game since The Simple Life,” the cowboy-hat wearing socialite and reality TV icon quipped, referring the cult mid-2000s series she starred in with Nicole Richie.

“Make some noise for The Simple Life!” yelled Koenig to laughs and applause. AFP