Photos By Lorène Lenoir
(lorene@rockscope.com)

Day 3

I'm tired. I'm sore. And all of a sudden, I realize my ankle is so swollen people might think it's actually my thigh. Ha. That explains why it hurt so much. Running from photo pit to photo pit is going to turn into a real torture!



I'm starting with Holy F*ck, an impressive bunch of nerdy looking guys who make electronica without any laptops or digital stuff. The most interesting of their instruments is a 35 mm film sequencer that Brian Borcherdt uses quite enthusiastically. They make me hot just looking at them, bouncing and twitching to the sound of their music. This is an act you shouldn't miss when they're in your area.



The big shoegazer fan in me rejoices at the Swervedriver reunion. They still deliver, they still are very good at looking at their shoes, I feel 20 again. Thank you, guys.



I reluctantly walk towards a main stage which I know will be overwhelmed with eager photographers and ever more eager non-photographs wanting to snap pics of Eugene, the crazy leader from Gogol Bordello. I'm not disappointed, but thanks heaven, the purple-Lycra-clad frontman spends his time running from one end of the stage to the pit, allowing about everyone to have a close shot. I see a massive crowd running towards main stage, and am quite happy about this. Gogol Bordello is a genuinely enthusiastic act and they deserve their success.

My ankle hurts terribly, so I miss Spiritualized (who had a few technical difficulties) and Metric for the heavenly feeling of a bag of ice on it and can't really feel sorry about the situation. I'm bloody exhausted and probably wouldn't have enjoyed them anyway. Next time, I'll think of bringing an extra pair of proper shoes.

I'm getting ready for Roger Waters, who will certainly make great photo material. But that day was doomed, it seems, and when I drag myself towards the main stage photo pit and switch on my camera, the dreaded message flashes: "Please change the battery immediately". Oh damn. It's true. I haven't charged my batteries in three days. There goes my only chance of photographing Roger Waters. I try not to hit myself over the head as I'm already in pain enough and enjoy the first part of the concert from VIP, sipping a beer while watching my batteries charge.

The show is awesome, only thing is the sky being a bit cloudy, we can't see the moon, which is a pity.



Then, after an hour and a half, I stumble to the Mojave tent where the band I've been listening to a lot lately is playing to a scarce crowd. Black Mountain is a psychedelic band from Vancouver whose latest album, In the Future, is absolutely brilliant. It's a pity they're playing against another big stoner favourite. But those present know it: they were great. I'll meet them the day after at the Rancho de la Luna, in Joshua Tree, and they're also very sweet people.

As a French person, I don't really get the huge hype about Justice and the Ed Banger/Institubes crowd. We tend to consider them as overhyped wankers, here. Oh, they're talented, indeed. But not to the point of having Justice play to a silent Coachella in the last slot of the festival. Seriously, I don't get it.



However, this was a great experience, and I'd like to thank Marcee Rondan from MSO PR again for accepting to give me a photo pass for what is one of the greatest festivals in the world. I hope I'll be able to do it again, this time with good shoes and a zip pocket for my telephone.

- Lorène Lenoir