Reviews: Die Antwoord at Coachella

Our zef rap-ravers played the popular Coachella Valley Music Festival in California this weekend. How did the US folk enjoy our 'deliciously trashy hip-hop trio'? This is what critics, bloggers and festival-goers had to say. 

* Coachella 2010 gallery: Beyoncé, Jay-z and more.

"Die Antwoord, the deliciously trashy South African hip-hop trio who lit up the Internet as a suspected novelty act, proved they had an overwhelming magnetism and a ferocious, deadly serious lyrical flow." – LA Times

"Wow. The Sahara is past capacity at Coachella for Die Antwoord. No midget. Waiting for the trainwreck but people dig it." - Music journalist The Scenestar

"South Africa's Die Antwoord introduced zef-rap to the festival, South Africa's version of white trash hip hop-a bold, fearless expression of crazy stick a finger up your bum entertainment." - Brooklynvegan.com

"WIN: Die Antwoord. This couldn't fail. Expectations were high and low at the same time and they delivered, particularly Ninja with his white-man's-Twista speed-rapping. Shortest set ever. If you were still blissing out from the Flying Lotus mindtrip, you probably missed half of Die Antwoord's set." – West Coast Sound

"Die Antwoord — Afrikaans for “the answer” — slipped in a brief, wacky live appearance on Saturday night in the Sahara Tent. It’s a self-described “rap-rave” group from Cape Town, South Africa. On Saturday it had a (male) DJ and two gleefully foul-mouthed vocalists: a male rapper, Ninja, and an androgynous female singer, Yo-Landi Vi$$er, who spurred him on with a singing voice in the Chipmunks’ register. The beat had the synthetic throb of trance under with gibbering high tones. Ninja’s raps sliced it up in stop-start, speed-tongued sprints, rattling off raunchy imagery; Ms. Vi$$er piped up in between like a kiddie chorus. Portly, shirtless characters danced onstage in skull masks. Die Antwoord’s reputation has traveled fast by Internet; they fully lived up to it." - Artsbeat

"Quite possibly the most softly-hyped headliner at the festival, Die Antwoord had the most to prove of any artist playing Coachella 2010 -- and by God did they do it! For fans in the U.S., their following has now become much more than viral." – The Boom Box


Now you can decide for yourself. Watch this clip from their performance.