Infected Mushroom Move Up the Coachella Timeslot Ladder

Israeli trance/rock duo Infected Mushroom had a tough timeslot when they played at Coachella this past weekend, hitting the Sahara Tent in the 7PM hour of Sunday opposite Spoon, Phoenix, Miike Snow and what was supposed to be Sly Stone's comeback. But before they hit the stage, the duo was feeling very upbeat.

"The slot we've been given is a great slot. It's a good time. Spoon is on the main stage, not our same crowd, and we're looking forward to the show," Infected Mushroom's Amit Duvdevani told Spinner backstage.

Duvdevani had a right to be feeling good though, especially compared with their initial Coachella experience, when they played in 2007. "The first time was really f---ed up for us because we got the slot against Rage Against the Machine reunion, which was f---ing horrible [slot]," he said. "We were really pissed about it last time."

That's understandable. In 11 Coachella festivals, playing opposite the Rage reunion was probably the single worst timeslot in Coachella history, worse than going up against Madonna or Radiohead. The crowd for Rage's performance alone was estimated to be 60,000 that year.

But Duvdevani understands that the band had to make their way up the Coachella ladder. "We've become a little bit bigger as a band from last time," he said. And all is forgiven. "Now we got a good slot and everything is good and it's good to be back."

Infected Mushroom are hitting the road post-Coachella for several dates in the US. Thankfully, none are opposite Rage.