This article was written by freelance writer KC Duru
Quintessential ’90s ska band No Doubt returned to the stage for the first time since 2015 at this year’s Coachella.
No Doubt teased their Coachella appearance on their official Instagram account in a Jan. 16 post in which frontwoman Gwen Stefani, bassist Tony Kanal, guitarist Tom Dumont and drummer Adrian Young connected via video call and coyly suggested they “hang out” and “do a show.”
Coachella confirmed No Doubt’s reunion with the release of its lineup about an hour after the band’s teaser. The music festival will take place from April 12-14 and April 19-21. Lana Del Rey, Tyler, The Creator and Doja Cat are set to headline both weekends and over 150 other artists are slated to perform at the widely anticipated event, including Sabrina Carpenter, Ice Spice and Reneé Rapp.
The news was met with mixed reactions from long-time fans, who, in the comments of the band’s teaser video, expressed excitement about No Doubt performing again, but also disappointment that the long-awaited reunion will be taking place at Coachella.
“[I’m] so excited!!!! Please consider doing a show somewhere else that’s not Coachella for us old fans who have kids and are broke,” said one Instagram user.
Although some of No Doubt’s core fanbase might not be willing to make the journey to the desert, there is an opportunity for the group to recruit new fans of a younger demographic. The average Coachella attendee is 25 years old, according to data from Gitnux. No Doubt’s most critically acclaimed album “Tragic Kingdom” debuted in 1995, four years before the average Coachella-goer was even born.
Despite this, Gen Z has embraced ’90s and Y2K aesthetics. Outfit checks featuring iconic early 2000s wide-leg jeans, hair tutorials on how to achieve the perfect ’90s blowout and makeup looks using bright eyeshadow have flooded social media in recent years.
Additionally, Gen Z has already been introduced to No Doubt. The group’s 1995 song “Just a Girl” was at the center of a TikTok trend in which young girls and women shared a quirky action or habit and blamed it on their girlhood while lip-syncing to the song’s bridge. Stefani was also considered a fashion icon of the ’90s, defining the time’s alt-girl/punk look that teenagers today are trying to achieve with bold makeup looks, crop tops and baggy pants.
Amrit Singh, a senior family science major, was initially a fan of Gwen Stefani in middle school but discovered No Doubt in high school, connected with their music and even considered attending the festival this year just to see the band.
“The band does have potential to appeal to a Gen Z audience because…younger people really like the rhythmic style of ska, including myself,” Singh said. “I think that kind of style is really popular in a lot of mainstream music today and going back to listen to earlier versions of it is very interesting.”
McKenzie Lucas, a junior public health major and No Doubt fan, recommended “Just a Girl,” “Spiderwebs,” “It’s My Life,” “Don’t Speak” and “Hella Good” to those who are new to the band’s music.
Despite the group’s reunion at the music festival, there are no solid plans for No Doubt to release new music or tour anytime soon, according to a Nylon interview with Gwen Stefani published April 9. However, the singer did tell the magazine that she was “open to anything.”
No Doubt is scheduled to take the stage on Sunday, April 14 at 12:25 a.m. EDT on the main Coachella stage. If you are not lucky enough to attend the festival in person, YouTube is livestreaming all stages of the festival throughout both weekends on the official Coachella YouTube channel.