With great headliners and recently reunited bands to play the festival, we couldn’t be more excited about this year’s upcoming Coachella Festival.
On Monday, the Coachella lineup was announced via Twitter, with The Black Keys as Friday’s headliner, Radiohead as Saturday’s and Sunday’s main acts as Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre.
With a pretty hefty list of great acts under each day, it is important to remember that all bands listed in the lineup will be featured at both 2012 Coachella dates, April 13-15 and April 20-22. It was announced last spring that Coachella would be expanded to two weekends to accommodate the increased demand of tickets.
Members of The Mars Volta and Sparta are returning to their origin to reunite as their very first post-hardcore outfit known as At the Drive-In for Coachella and a few other shows. Unlikely, it may seem, since the group disbanded in 2001 due to what appeared to be creative differences.
Since then, members of Sparta and The Mars Volta have had a few discrepancies between them, obviously sore over At the Drive-In’s split down the middle, with guitarist Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala leaning toward a more psychedelic-infused rock, and the other members Jim Ward, Paul Hinojos and Tony Hajjar moving toward alternative rock. With the tumultuous history behind At the Drive-In, it will certainly be interesting to see what comes from their unlikely but fan-pleasing reunion.
Also set to make an appearance at Coachella under a recently reunited status is the Swedish punk group Refused. Playing for the first time since 1998, Refused will play at Coachella and then the Way Out West Festival in Sweden August 9-11.
Refused’s genre-blending punk sound, chaotic and lively showmanship and politically driven lyrics have defined their image over the years. Now, almost 10 years after their disappointing break-up, not only is Refused back together to play some shows, but they are also working on new material. They have also released an official statement regarding the reactivation of their band.
Hours before the official Coachella lineup was released, the English alternative rock band Pulp confirmed their appearance at both weekends of Coachella. The band recently reunited in 2011, and until now, had no concrete plans to venture to the U.S. for performances.
Since Pulp’s disbandment in 2002, frontman Jarvis Cocker has kept himself busy with solo projects, collaborations and production of tracks for artists like M.I.A. and Florence + the Machine. Since Pulp reunited in 2011, they have played at a plethora of European music festivals, proving that Pulp is nowhere close to dying out. Finally, they’ll be setting foot on American soil for both Fridays of Coachella.
One disappointing detail pertaining to Coachella’s recently announced lineup is that Black Sabbath was confirmed to headline the festival, but due to Tony Iommi’s recent diagnosis of lymphoma, the band bowed out at the last minute. With Black Sabbath’s reunion in the works, Iommi’s diagnosis could possibly affect the band’s tour plans. Black Sabbath announced last November that they’d be reuniting for a new album and tour, but they did not foresee the health issues that now stand as a potential hindrance.
Unplugging In Brief:
Coachella 2012 Lineup Announced Featuring Headliners The Black Keys, Radiohead, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg – Coachella officially announced this year’s lineup on Monday through twitter.
At the Drive-In to Reunite For 2012 Shows + Coachella Performance – Members of The Mars Volta and Sparta are returning to their first post-hardcore rock outfit, At the Drive-In, and will play Coachella.
Refused Reunite for 2012 Tour Dates Including Appearances at Coachella and Way Out West Festivals – The Swedish punk band Refused is back together after almost a decade, and is working on new material.
Pulp Self Confirms Appearance at Both Weekends of Coachella Festival 2012 – The English group Pulp is finally gracing America with performances at Coachella since they reunited in 2011.
Black Sabbath Was Confirmed for Coachella But Had to Back Out – Set to headline Coachella, Black Sabbath had to cancel at the last second due to Tony Iommi’s recent diagnosis of lymphoma.
