Katseye took the Sahara Stage at Coachella on Friday evening for their festival debut, premiering 'Pinky Up' live and transforming the set into Katseye City. The performance featured sharp choreography and hits like 'Mean Girls' and 'Gnarly,' but proceeded without member Manon Bannerman, who remains on hiatus. The group promised more appearances at the festival in the future.
Katseye performed at 8 p.m. PT on the Sahara Stage, kicking off with 'Pinky Up,' a single premiered just before the festival. Like the song's music video, the set excluded Manon Bannerman. The group barreled through tracks including 'Mean Girls,' 'Touch,' 'Game Boy,' 'Internet Girl,' 'Gabriela,' 'My Way,' 'M.I.A.,' and closed with 'Gnarly.' Additional dancers elevated the rooftop scenes and song-titled buildings in their Katseye City theme. Lara Raj told Nylon beforehand that the show would be a 'huge and iconic moment' for the group, calling it 'grand and pivotal.' She later said onstage, 'Coachella has been our number one dream since we became a group,' adding, 'There will be many more Coachellas after today.' The group did not address Bannerman's absence during the set. In February, Hybe and Geffen Records announced her temporary hiatus to focus on health and wellbeing. Bannerman stated she was 'healthy and taking care of myself.' Days before Coachella, she updated fans on WeVerse: 'HxG and I are having positive conversations and I feel supported. I’m happy and I’m healthy. I’ll share more soon.' Hybe confirmed to the Korea Herald on April 9 that she would not appear, stating 'Manon remains on hiatus.' The labels noted Katseye would continue obligations like Lollapalooza. Katseye drew inspiration from Beyoncé's 2018 headline set and Blackpink's performances in 2019 and 2023. Hours earlier, BINI became the first Filipino group at the festival. Guests Ejae, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami joined for 'Golden.' Sophia told Nylon, 'We’re only as strong as our weakest member. We need to make sure that we’re all showing up for each other.'
