One Day as a Lion Live at the Mojave Tent Coachella

Defining raw power and eye-opening urgency, One Day as a Lion decimated the crowd at the Mojave Tent. Utilizing no bass or guitars, One Day as a Lion is all drums, keyboards and vocals. Drummer Jon Theodore and vocalist Zack de la Rocha and one supplemental keyboardist make every single sound. Originally a drummer from The Mars Volta, Theodore is a relentless assault on his kit, booming each hit with intimidating force. De la Rocha is a lion on the mic, roaring through the lines, “This is my last letter to you,” on “Last Letter” with every morsel of believability the words deserve. “Wild Internationa” allowed him to show off some of the verbal flow he’s famous for in Rage Against the Machine, but in ODAAL, it’s his half sing/half shouting that make the band so vital. Playing the few songs from their debut EP and just as many incredible (and as yet unnamed) new songs, the band is the kind of unfilitered nerve so sadly absent from music right now. And what’s more, this was only their third show ever.

By Raymond Flotat Posted in Reviews Coachella