Confirmed: Arcade Fire to headline Rock en Seine 2010

Another very badly kept secret was just made official by the organisers. Arcade Fire will headline Rock en Seine festival in France on August 29. Although the date is yet to be confirmed it's a simple matter of looking at the other dates which have been confirmed so far. August 29 is the only date still not occupied that weekend.

Rock en Seine

Rock en Seine: Arcade Fire

Anyone remember this from the last time they played there in 2007?



Incredible.

NME to reveal new artwork

Apparently Will has sent NME a postcard (haha!) telling them about the future plans for Arcade Fire. A letter you can read in its entirety in this week's NME magazine, in newsstands from March 31. However, the most exciting thing about it all is Will also aparaently sent them new artwork. Weather it's the album artwork or not remains to be seen, but some kind of artwork will be published in the new edition of the mag. Will also wrote they were "still hard at work" on the new album and "We're really looking forward to playing the new songs live", adding that he currently feels "like an inventor emerging from his basement after a year's work".

NME: Arcade Fire to 'premiere new album' headlining Reading And Leeds Festivals

Can't wait to see what that artwork looks like. Whatever kind of artwork it is. Oh and I feel like I should explain something here. In all likelihood the whole 'premiere new album' thing is just usual NME crappy journalism. What they're trying to say in their own hyperbolic way is that Arcade Fire will play new songs during the Reading and Leeds festivals.

*Edit*
Actually, I think I can fairly safely say the picture/postcard I just added above is the "exclusive artwork" for Arcade Fire's new album NME will reveal in their magazine this week. Another attempt to sell more mags from NME. But it was good this happened, now you all understand just how NME does things. They hyperbole everything they can get their hands on. I learned this the hard way a few years back...

Confirmed: Arcade Fire to headline Reading & Leeds festivals

The official announcement was just made and the worst kept secret this year is out. Arcade Fire will headline Reading festival on August 28 and its sister festival in Leeds on August 27.

Leeds Festival: Line-up

Reading Festival: Line-up

Richard sings(!) on the new The National album

You heard me people. Richard Reed Parry from Arcade Fire contributed heavily to the new The National album High Violet, out May 11 on 4AD. The Quietus got to chat with The National's Aaron Dessner and this is what he had to say about it.

"Richie Reed Parry from Arcade Fire is all over the record, I think he’s on six or seven songs. He played guitar and stand-up bass on ‘Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks’, and the big thing he did was that he heard me working on the music for ‘Conversation 16’, and he said, “I have an idea!” So he went in and sang – his father is a choir director so he knows multi-part singing – he sang this seven-part vocal, it’s all him layered. That’s beautiful. He’s this very lovely, unassuming person – when you see someone’s musicality inserted into the room, you’re like, “woah!” And that was great – he was just staying at my house, it wasn’t like we planned to work on it like that.

The Quietus: The National Reveal High Violet Collaborators

I mean, I was super excited about High Violet before. But now... Wow! The National are easily the band I like the most after that Montreal band and the new single Bloodbuzz Ohio is nothing short of sensational.

Bloodbuzz Ohio (official mp3)

I'm on a bloodbuzz.

Yes, I am.

[MP3] The National - Bloodbuzz Ohio (official mp3 via HighViolet.com, 192 kbps)

God, I am.

2 new Broken Social Scene songs!

Stream the new BSS tracks, "Forced To Love" and "All To All", below. The first taster from the new album was ofcourse "World Sick" and while these newer ones don't perhaps sound as great as that fantastic piece of music they're certainly good songs.

Arcade Fire won't be at Glastonbury 2010

Arcade Fire's manager, Scott Rodger, just confirmed the band will NOT be at this year's Glastonbury festival in England.

It was earlier strongly rumoured that's where Arcade Fire would kick off their upcoming tour, but that rumour has now as you can see been squashed to pieces.

Macy Gray covers "Wake Up"

Macy Gray covered Arcade Fire's anthem "Wake Up" during her performance at Perez Hilton's SXSW show a couple of days ago.

Verdict: Totally different vibe from what I guess we're all used to. Not saying it's bad for it, but I'm perhaps not convinced it's all that great either. Decent cover.

Confirmed: Arcade Fire to headline Osheaga 2010

The line-up for Osheaga festival in Montreal, Canada was just announced and Arcade Fire are as expected topping the bill. The band will rock Osheaga on Saturday July 31.

Osheaga 2010
Osheaga: Arcade Fire

Canadian festivals, ohoy!

Waking up this morning to great news from the Montreal paper Le Devoir. They claim Arcade Fire will headline Osheaga festival (July 28 - August 1) in Canada. But they're not done bring us good news just yet. They are also saying the band will play during the Quebec City Summer Festival (July 8 - 18).

Le Devoir: Arcade Fire à Osheaga (in French)

Really glad to see Arcade Fire being linked with some Canadian shows now. I remember Jeremy feeling bad about not playing enough shows during the Neon Bible tour on home soil.

*Edit*
I hear the line-up for Osheaga will officially be announced next Monday (March 22).

The news is...

...that there is no news. Let's go burn some bridges. And maybe even break some hearts.

then I'll dig a tunnel from my window to yours

Sometimes it just hits you exceptionally hard what a masterpiece this song is. By many regarded as the song of the last decade. I'm one of those people.

High Violet & Terrible Love

Really like the album cover! The National also played "Terrible Love" last night, from the new album, on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Very promising!


High Violet is out May 11 on 4AD.

Arcade Fire highly likely to headline Lollapalooza

Arcade Fire are very very likely to headline Lollapalooza in Chicago. So says both Greg Kot from The Chicago Tribune and now also Time Out Chicago. To add to that one of the bands claimed to headline, The Strokes, just self-confirmed - they are indeed headlining.

The official announcement should be made any day now, they say. Keep checking back.

Arcade Fire confirmed for Rock Werchter 2010

Arcade Fire will play the Main Stage at Rock Werchter festival in Belgium on Sunday, July 4. The organisers just confirmed it. This is fun fun fun!

Rock Werchter: Arcade Fire

Confirmed: Arcade Fire to headline The Hove Festival

News came in this morning Arcade Fire are confirmed to headline The Hove Festival in Norway on July 2. This is the second date announced of course following yesterday's Oxegen confirmation.

Hovefestivalen: Arcade Fire

I've just heard they will play Latitude festival in England, but no official word on that just yet. Stay tuned!

*Edit*
Turned out that the Latitude rumour was false. Arcade Fire will not be at Latitude this year.

Confirmed: Arcade Fire to headline Oxegen 2010

Here we go! The first show of the upcoming tour this summer was just announced. Arcade Fire will headline Oxegen Festival in Ireland, July 9 to 11. It's said they'll top the bill on the first night, July 9, but that is yet to be confirmed.

Tickets go on sale this Friday, March 12, at 8am (GMT).

facebook.com/Oxegen

My reaction to this was naturally a big 'Wooooaaaaahhh!!'. Mainly because the date is a lot earlier than expected. I know most Irish festival goers were hoping they'd play Electric Picnic instead though. The chances of that happening now seem very very slim at best.

*Edit*
Arcade Fire will indeed headline Oxegen on the Friday night, July 9.

*Edit 2*
Irish Times' Jim Carroll says the Oxegen deal includes a few shows at the O2 in Dublin later on.

Take Away Show - Special Edition

Vincent Moon has put up Arcade Fire's almost legendary Take Away Show from back in 2007. Slightly different edited and now also in HD. Watch it here in HD or below in very high quality.

High Violet

The National's new album is called "High Violet" and is out May 11. I've had some reliable info come my way this is a contender for album of the year. All this makes me unnervingly happy.

HighViolet.com

Official: Arcade Fire to announce festival dates

Arcade Fire's manager Scott Rodger just let us know, via his twitter, the following.

RT @scottrodger: Arcade Fire about to announce some UK and international festival dates. the fun shows will be announced on the day

YES YES YES!! It's happening people!

Arcade Fire NOT covering Peter Gabriel's "Games Without Frontiers"

"UPDATE: According to Arcade Fire's publicist, The New York Times incorrectly reported that the band is covering "Games Without Frontiers". The band is not covering that song. It is unclear if they are covering another Peter Gabriel song or not participating in the project at all."

Pitchfork: Arcade Fire NOT Covering Peter Gabriel's "Games Without Frontiers"

Arcade Fire covering Peter Gabriel's "Games Without Frontiers"

New York Times has an article up this morning about Peter Gabriel's song swap project where he first did a cover of Arcade Fire's "My Body Is A Cage" on his new album Scratch My Back. Now the turn has come for Arcade Fire to cover one of Mr. Gabriel's songs. And according that NY Times article Arcade Fire has been working on "Games Without Frontiers". I can't really say I'm all that familiar with the song so I've embedded it below as much for my own interest as anything else.

New York Times: Peter Gabriel Says, ‘I’ll Sing Yours, You Sing Mine’

First impression is that the song sounds like one which Arcade Fire could really make their own. So that's good.

"UPDATE: According to Arcade Fire's publicist, The New York Times incorrectly reported that the band is covering "Games Without Frontiers". The band is not covering that song. It is unclear if they are covering another Peter Gabriel song or not participating in the project at all."

Pitchfork: Arcade Fire NOT Covering Peter Gabriel's "Games Without Frontiers"

Arcade Fire headlining Reading & Leeds festivals?

Today eFestivals went on record saying they "fully expect" Arcade Fire to headline Reading & Leeds festivals. eFestivals are usually very reliable and the timing of the festival looks good in respect to what Billions have said about their touring plans.

Word reaches the eFestivals basement that at Reading and Leeds festivals this year you'll get to see....

Arcade Fire - returning after a few years, this time we understand that they're set to headline.

Blink 182 - after a few years away, these guys are back and we understand that this year they'll be taking one of the top slots.

And finally, the act we're least sure of but believe are the third headliner are My Chemical Romance.

As we always say with information like this, these acts are not officially confirmed, and there's the possibility that the information we've given above is wrong. We are however confident that the information we've received is good and that we fully expect to see at least two of the above (Blink 192 & Arcade Fire) confirmed as headliners later this month.

Reading Festival takes place on the bank holiday weekend, from Friday 27th to Sunday 29th August at Little Johns Farm, Richfield Avenue, Reading, Berkshire, with the sister event, Leeds Festival, taking place the same wekend at Bramham Park, Leeds, West Yorkshire.

http://www.efestivals.co.uk/news/10/100301f.shtml

So, while I'd pay to not have to see the other two headliners it might just be worth enduring those bands for Arcade Fire alone, especially if you live in the area.