The annual music festival kicks off this weekend in the Californian desert, and its lineup is packed full of queer stars
BY HONOR WOLSTENCROFT, IMAGE BY CAITY KRONE
Festival season is finally upon us, with the cultural phenomenon music festival, Coachella, kicking off its first leg of weekends this Friday. We’ve rounded up the best LGBTQIA+ performers that the lineup has to offer, and to curb your major FOMO, their sets will be available to watch from the comfort of your sofa, with seven stages geared to livestream from the Californian desert on Coachella’s YouTube channel.
CMAT
When: 2:15 am BST, Saturday 11 April
Stage: Gobi
Bisexual and Irish legend CMAT will make her second Coachella appearance on the Gobi stage. Following the release and mammoth success of Euro-Country last August, we can’t wait to hear CMAT introduce the concept of a “Jamie Oliver Petrol Station” to an American audience. Ádh mór, CMAT!
KATSEYE
When: 5:00 am BST, Saturday 11 April
Stage: Sahara
KATSEYE are set to make their Coachella debut, and fans are eager to see if Manon will make an appearance following the news of her hiatus. Either way, the girl group with openly queer members, Lara and Megan, are expected to deliver a gnarly set, including the live debut of their new single Pinky Up, dropping on 9 April.
The xx
When: 3:00 am BST, Saturday 11 April
Stage: Coachella Stage
The London trio are back together after an eight-year hiatus and will warm up the crowd on the main stage before Friday night’s headliner, Sabrina Carpenter. The haunting lyrics and vocals of proudly queer Romy Madley Croft and Oliver Sim, mixed with the effervescent production of Jamie xx, set the electronic band aside from the rest of the lineup.
Ethel Cain
When: 6:35 am BST, Saturday 11 April
Stage: Mojave
If you’re looking for a powerful set to watch, make sure to catch Cain on the Mojave’s livestream. Certain to bring ethereal vocals with chilling lyrics about religion and sexuality, this will be the trans second appearance at the festival.
Slayyyter
When: 11 pm BST, Friday 10 April
Stage: Mojave
Promoting her new album, The Worst Girl In America, we’re hopeful that Slayyyter’s performance will solidify her as the best girl at Coachella. This will be Slayyyter’s first appearance at the festival, and you can count on her to bring all the hyper pop princess and bisexual energy.
Wet Leg
When: 12:45 am BST, Monday 13 April
Stage: Coachella Stage
Performing on the main stage, the band hailing from the Isle of Wight will perform tracks from their recent and highly acclaimed album, moisturizer. Lead singer, Rhian Teasdale, opened up about her non-binary partner being the inspiration behind many of her songs, and they’re guaranteed to sound even better under the Californian sun.
Gigi Perez
When: 12:00 am BST, Monday 13 April
Stage: Outdoor Theatre
The sapphic singer-songwriter, best known for her number one smash hit, Sailor Song, will perform a 45-minute set. This will be her first Coachella appearance, and will be her last performance before she embarks on Noah Kahan’s The Great Divide World Tour, as his support act. We love to see an up-and-coming queer artist getting her flowers!
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