Coachella 2025: Weekend 1 sets the stage for Weekend 2 music making

Headed to Weekend 2 of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival? In addition to catching well-known acts such as Lady Gaga, Green Day and the Go-Go's, there are more than 150 other artists scheduled to play over the three-day span (April 18-20). Here are some under-the-radar rock artists worth catching when they perform in Indio this weekend.

TOPS performing in the Sonora tent  
Photo credit: Coachella / YouTube

TOPS — Canadian indie rock troupe TOPS (singer Jane Penny, guitarist David Carriere, drummer Riley Fleck and keyboardist Marta Cikojevic) impressed throughout their 40-minute set in the Sonora tent on Friday afternoon; TOPS blended '80s and modern rock stylings into their own signature sound. The band's debut album Tender Opposites was released in 2012, and TOPS has since released three more full-length studio albums. 

Brian May at Coachella 2025.
Photo credit: Coachella /YouTube

Benson Boone — Performing on the Coachella Stage on Friday evening, rising singer-songwriter Benson Boone impressed in the early evening with a set that ended with an inspired cover of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" and his own hit "Beautiful Things," both selections featuring guitar great Brian May in a surprise appearance. The sight of May playing guitar so masterfully was great to see; the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer suffered a minor stroke back in September 2024 that rendered him temporarily without the use of his left arm. At Coachella, May looked terrific and this writer hopes he makes an encore appearance Weekend 2. 

The Marias — The Los Angeles-based quartet made an eagerly-awaited return to Coachella last weekend, having last performed at the festival in 2022. The band delivered one of the best and most memorable sets of Weekend 1 with an incredible hour-long performance on the Outdoor Theatre stage on Friday night. Fans of Cocteau Twins, the Album Leaf and Zero 7 will all find something to love about the Marias' bewitching sound. 

Parcels performing on the Outdoor Theatre stage on April 11.
Photo credit: Coachella / YouTube

Parcels — Blending funk, electropop, disco, progressive and modern rock, Australian quintet Parcels defies easy categorization — and that's a good thing. At their performance last Friday night, the crowd danced and grooved to the group's infectious originals including "Tieduprightnow," "Safeandsound" (the latter featuring a fiery close recalling the power of Neil Young & Crazy Horse), infectious "Gamesofluck," shimmering "Somethinggreater," and harmonies-adorned ballad "Leaveyourlove."

Blonde Redhead — An enduring American rock outfit that blends psychedelic, dreamy alt rock, Baroque pop, shoegaze and art damage stylings, Blonde Redhead delivered a mesmerizing performance in the Sonora tent on Saturday. Catch them if you can when they return for Weekend 2.

The Beaches tearing it up at Coachella.
Photo credit: Coachella / YouTube

The Beaches — Canadian rock quartet the Beaches performed in a packed Gobi tent on Sunday afternoon, offering up a slew of catchy melodic rock originals over the course of 45 fast-moving minutes. The all-female rock outfit offers up a winning style that blends post-punk, melodic rock, dance rock and indie effortlessly; "Everything Is Boring," burning "Edge of the Earth" and fiery kiss-off "Blame Brett" were among the strong songs the Beaches tore through during their Weekend 1 set.

Information: Coachella.com.

Robert Kinsler