For much of their 30 year existence, alternative Manchester Britpop rockers James have been severely underrated. Having toured across the globe and played some of the biggest festivals in the world, frontman Tim Booth knows much about what makes a show great, which is why he loves Coachella. “Some places you play, you just aren’t in the zone,” Booth explains. “But not here. It’s a great place to get going and play a terrific show.”
The band loved playing yesterday afternoon’s show in 100-degree heat; on the other hand, they hated performing on final touring version of Lollapalooza. Below, Booth offers five reasons why Coachella kicks ass and Lollapalooza sucked.
5. Getting respect from the organizers:
“[At Coachella] we didn’t feel like were the opening act for Korn or Snoop Dogg. [At Lollapalooza] there was no place for James, which is the opposite of this festival.”
4. It’s painless:
“[Coachella’s] over in two days and [when] we did the six week Lollapalooza (in 1997) it was the tour from hell. I had ruptured discs in my back and it was terrible. Coachella is one of the few festivals where you hit the stage and are already in the zone.”
3. Location:
“Somewhere out here, you feel like there’s the spirit of Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin playing golf. I love the desert, even the extremes. Last week, I was wearing thermals and this week, I’m topless for the first time in 30 years.”
2. The audiences are sexier and more open:
“Lollapalooza was more tribal. [Fans there only] came who they came to see, and they said, ‘You can fuck off you English faggots.’ After we heard that, we were like that’s interesting, so we went out and bought sparkly dresses for the whole band.”
1. Sobriety (for the band):
“My fellow band members didn’t need drugs to get themselves through the Coachella experience. As a band, we were pretty strung out for a few years after Lollapalooza. It took us a few years to recover from it and everyone was pretty damaged. It was the tour from hell whereas this is a true, beautiful experience.”
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