The Tamesis
It’s been four years since Holly Humberstone last took to the Coachella stage. Dressed in a black bikini, striped warmers, camouflage pants and defiant black eyeliner, the British musician mesmerizes the desert with a series of concise singles and EP tracks that feature airy lyricism and dynamic synths, melancholy pop that balances sincere emotion and pop production. Her biggest song of the time, the bright anthem “Scarlett,” echoed from the crowd: “I said, “Honey,” are we going to go far?” fans screamed at each other, and “Honey” became even more palatable in international mouths.
Humberstone returns to Coachella to perform on the Gobi stage with a stellar debut album and an ever-evolving personal style. The first weekend also marked the release of her second record, cruel world. “It feels crazy to finally be in the desert,” Humberstone said. “I’ve made an album that I’m very proud of, so I feel very lucky to be able to share it with the world at Coachella.”
Humberstone, who has since toured with Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo, recalls arriving in 2022: “I was super carefree and had a naive confidence in myself! I feel like, as I’ve gotten older, I’ve weirdly become more uptight and self-conscious. So this time it felt a little scarier, but ultimately, more rewarding.”
The show kicked off with the new record’s lead single “To Love Somebody,” a song inspired by watching a friend’s brutal heartbreak and whose rich, harmonious vocals and lyrics make you shout out. “It felt like a communal song and it really connected with the crowd in the way I hoped it would,” she said. More songs include the buoyant strings “Beauty Pageant” and the disco-tinged “White Noise.” “A lot of this new album was written in a live setting because I love touring and my band so much.” It’s a very tight-knit band consisting of Lauren O’Donnell Anderson (drums), Jack Louis Rennie (guitar) and Seth Tackaberry (bass guitar and keys), who have been faithfully touring and performing with her.
