Lava La Rue Erupts at Coachella

Lava La Rue Erupts at Coachella: Singer, songwriter, director and generally talented artist Lava La Rue brought her genre-defying music to an enthusiastic Coachella on Friday, and the Weekly caught up with her backstage shortly afterwards…

How do you feel the set went?

It was great. It was our first ever time playing an American festival, ever. So yeah, and it was being livestreamed so it was a bit of pressure but only because I knew my grandma would be watching. That’s the scariest part. Not all the influencers in the crowd, but potentially my grandma livetreaming it at home. Although it’s a bit part her bedtime in UK time. So yeah, that’s what was going through my mind. 

Have you played UK fests?

Yeah, those are fun but this is so different. I did my second year of Glastonbury last yeah and this is world’s apart considering I would say Glasto and Coachella are the American/UK equivalents. I think that the overall crowd of Glasto know that they’re not going to look good. You’ve just got to go out there and brace it if you want to have a good time. Generally in Glasto, as artists, nine times out of ten you actually want to be a punter. So I would be out there in the field, and I will see Carolyn Polochek or Stormzy in the crowd, slightly disguised. But they want to be out there by the speaker, enjoying it, getting on it and having a good time. Whereas here, everyone wants to be backstage or at the VIP section. Different wristbands carry weight in a different way. Of course in Glasto there’s some of that. But generally, people just want to get out there. But I’m not trying to shit in the music. It’s also great. 

I’ll take the weather here though…

The first year I did Glasto 2019, it was really sunny. The right amount. Because this is quite intense. You’re burning out here.

(Courtesy of Coachella/Lance Gerber)

What do you have planned for the rest of the day?

I really want to see Blondie. Might catch a bit of Yves Tumor – I’ve seen them live but I want to catch the set again if I can. And then of the closing sets, I might see Ashnikko, might see Gorillaz, but I’m keeping it open. It’s nice to stroll around and check things out. I haven’t even gone outside yet – I’ve only done the set and interviews – and I don’t know if this is the kind of thing where you can just stroll and discover someone. In Glasto, you’re strolling for ages thinking you’ve gone around the whole festival, and you’re just in one section. You discover so many amazing things. Irish bands from Limerick in a random hidden tent, and you’re just listening to them do poetry and dancing. So I don’t know if you can discover things here in the same way. 

And what do you have planned for the rest of the year?

I’ve got singles coming out, and I’ve been really getting into my director stuff. So I’m trying to up the visuals and make music videos that feel like movies. So that’s been really fun. It’s been really amazing to get booked for Coachella or Glasto considering I’ve only ever released little EPs and I don’t think I have a proper body of music out. So I think my plan is to just put my head down and put out a real body of music really. I haven’t got enough out there that speaks for me.

Lava La Rue’s Hi-Fidelity EP is out now. Go to lavalarueofficial.com for more info.

Lava La Rue Erupts at Coachella

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