Will Arcade Fire be at the 2014 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in support of new album “Reflektor”? (Guy Aroch/Contributed Image)
Can we all just agree that it would be more shocking to NOT see Arcade Fire top the 2014 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival lineup?
As soon as the Coachella 2014 pre-sale information came out mere weeks after Coachella 2013 wrapped, I called Arcade Fire’s return as a headliner.
Now, as the band’s fourth album, “Reflektor,” is about to be released on Oct. 29 on Merge, I think there’s even stronger evidence to see the band light up the Indio night at the Empire Polo Club.
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-The band has done Coachella after the release of each album in their catalog. After “The Suburbs” came out in 2010, the band made its headliner debut in 2011. New material is always a good sign for Coachella. Speaking of the new album, the band was cool enough to give a teaser for the album that is the full album.
-Arcade Fire is made for the Coachella masses. They came up through the ranks to earn that headlining spot in 2011 and “Reflektor” could be one of the biggest albums of the year.
-The band hasn’t announced any U.S. tour dates just yet, but they have announced that they will be on Australia’s Big Day Out touring festival in early 2014. Big Day Out gives a good indication of who we might see at Coachella. For example, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Yeah Yeah Yeahs played both fests in 2013, but most years the undercard bands have more overlap.
The Naked and Famous could be one of the breakout bands headed to Coachella 2014. (Contributed Image)
Speaking of Australia, I think one of the Pacific Rim bands we’ll see at Coachella 2014 is New Zealand combo The Naked and Famous.
The buzzworthy band is getting a lot of attention and has a big show at the Fox Theater in Pomona on Saturday, Oct. 26. The Pomona Fox is booked by Goldenvoice, the same promoter that puts on Coachella. The Pomona Fox lineup and the Glass House lineup are both places that are proving grounds for future Coachella bands.
Plus, the band has tour dates for 2014 and the Coachella dates (April 11-13, 2014 and April 18-20, 2014) are open. The group is playing Los Angeles in February with Imagine Dragons, right around the cutoff time for Coachella. (Unless it’s part of a special show, bands won’t play in/around LA for a couple months before and after Coachella.)
The Naked and Famous also have a new record, “In Rolling Waves,” out.
Think I’m on the right track or totally off in my predictions? Sound off in the comments below. Flip through the interactive timeline or click the links below to read my other predictions.
I’ve covered the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and the Stagecoach Country Music Festival since 2007. All of the Coachella prediction posts here are tagged with Coachellaology.
For more Coachella news, photos, interviews and information, visit the iGuide Coachella page. If you want to follow me on social media, I’m at @vanessafranko on Twitter, the Audio File on Facebook and on Google+.
Oct. 7, 2013: The Pixies
Oct. 2, 2013: Paul McCartney, Luscious Jackson
Aug. 2, 2013: Neutral Milk Hotel
June 16, 2013: The Replacements