Arcade Fire: Last News

Arcade Fire frontman Win Butler has spoken about the experience of writing the band’s new album ‘WE’ during the pandemic.In a new interview with the Montreal Gazette, Butler reflected on the making of their upcoming sixth studio album, during which he and his wife and bandmate Régine Chassagne, who were in New Orleans, were separated from the rest of the band due to lockdown.“They were closing the borders to Canada,” he said. “We had written ‘Age of Anxiety’, ‘End of the Empire’ and a bunch of songs.

Arcade Fire are set to headline the reopening night of London’s KOKO venue later this month.KOKO, which is located on 1A Camden High Street in north London, will reopen this month as a 50,000 square foot “state-of-the-art live music venue and broadcasting house” following a three-year, £70million restoration and redevelopment.The venue will open its doors once again on April 29, with the night featuring a special headline show from Arcade Fire – marking their first UK live performance since April 2018.The band will play in support of their forthcoming new album ‘We’, which is set for release on May 6 and has already been previewed by ‘The Lightning I, II’.A post shared by Arcade Fire (@arcadefire)Tickets for Arcade Fire’s KOKO show will go on sale at 12pm on Thursday (April 21) from here, while pre-sale access to tickets is available with pre-orders of ‘We’ on any format from the official Arcade Fire UK store.Fans around the world will also be able to tune in to the Amazon Music UK channel on Twitch on Friday to watch the KOKO gig from home, while they can also enjoy Arcade Fire on their [RE]DISCOVER playlist.KOKO’s reopening weekend will also feature the inaugural KOKO Electronic club night, which will see an extended set from deep house / techno DJ Luciano. Central Cee will then play two sets at the venue on May 1 at 4pm and 8pm.The likes of Lianne La Havas, Chase & Status and Pete Doherty are all set to perform at KOKO next month.

Arcade Fire debuting new song ‘Unconditional I (Lookout Kid)’ at Coachella 2022 – check it out below.The band played a secret set at the Californian festival on Friday (April 15) ahead of the release of new album ‘WE’, which is due out next month. Over the last few weeks they’ve made their live comebacks with gigs in New York, New Orleans and elsewhere.The hour-long set saw the band open with recent single ‘The Lightning I, II’ before playing hits from their five studio albums to date including ‘Wake Up’, ‘Rebellion (Lies)’ and ‘Everything Now’.Before playing their new song, ‘Unconditional I (Lookout Kid)’, which was teased last week, frontman Win Butler dedicated the track to his son.

Arcade Fire have been announced as upcoming musical guests on Saturday Night Live.It will be the fifth time the band have appeared as musical guests on the show and they will next take to the SNL stage on May 7.The episode will be hosted by The Power of The Dog actor Benedict Cumberbatch. It will be his second time hosting the long-running comedy show after his last stint in November 2016.Arcade Fire have previously appeared on the show in 2007, 2010, 2013 and 2018.Benedict! Arcade Fire! pic.twitter.com/o4bmfrBxaX— Saturday Night Live – SNL (@nbcsnl) April 17, 2022Meanwhile, Arcade Fire paused their emotional Coachella 2022 set twice on Friday (April 15) on the first day of the festival.The band was announced as a surprise addition to the lineup on Thursday (April 14) and played at the desert festival’s Mojave tent.Less than a minute into the set, frontman Win Butler stopped their new track ‘The Lightning I’ after seeing a fan in the front of the pit who needed help.

Arcade Fire paused their emotional Coachella 2022 set twice on Friday (April 15).The band was announced as a surprise addition to the lineup on Thursday (April 14) and played at the desert festival’s Mojave tent.Less than a minute into the set, frontman Win Butler stopped their new track ‘The Lightning, I’ after seeing a fan in the front of the pit who needed help. Butler then called for a medic, as the crowd erupted in cheers.Later in the set, he acknowledged the moment and festival safety, telling the packed tent “If you see someone out of their mind on drugs, find a fucking doctor.”The band took another pause during the set, which featured multiple previews from their yet to be released sixth album, ‘WE’.Before playing their new song, ‘Unconditional I (Lookout Kid)’ Butler dedicated the track to his son.

As announced earlier this week, Arcade Fire played a secret set on the first day of Coachella 2022 yesterday (April 15) – see photos, footage, setlist and more below.Frontman Win Butler teased the band’s appearance on Thursday (April 14) on Twitter, noting that he was spending his birthday at the California event. “Decided to spend my birthday somewhere warm and dry,” he wrote, posting a picture of himself throwing up the peace sign in what could be the backstage area of the festival.Yesterday, the band performed in the Mojave Tent at the California festival, which was headlined by Harry Styles.During the set, the band performed tracks from upcoming new album ‘WE’, due out next month.

Arcade Fire have favored the element of surprise on the release cycle of their sixth studio album, WE. In mid-March, they played a Ukraine benefit concert in their adopted hometown of New Orleans on one night's notice and followed it up the same week with news of their forthcoming record — due out May 6 via Columbia — and the release of "Lightning I, II," their first official single in nearly five years.

Arcade Fire have been announced as surprise guests for this weekend’s Coachella festival.Frontman Win Butler teased the band’s appearance earlier today (April 14) on Twitter, noting that he was spending his birthday at the California event.“Decided to spend my birthday somewhere warm and dry [palm tree emoji] @coachella,” he wrote, posting a picture of himself throwing up the peace sign in what could be the backstage area of the festival.Decided to spend my birthday somewhere warm and dry

Arcade Fire have been announced as the replacement for Foo Fighters at the Osheaga Music And Arts Festival.The three-day event is due to take place in Montréal, Canada between July 29 and August 1, with A$AP Rocky and Dua Lipa headlining the Saturday and Sunday nights respectively. It’ll mark the festival’s 15th anniversary.Foo Fighters had been scheduled to top the bill on the Friday evening, but last month cancelled all of their upcoming gigs in the wake of the tragic death of their drummer Taylor Hawkins.Today (April 14) Osheaga organisers took to social media to confirm that Arcade Fire will now headline instead.

Arcade Fire have teased the next single, from their forthcoming sixth album ‘WE’. Watch the video clip below.In a reel shared on the Canadian band’s Instagram page, Win Butler plays their yet to be released album, ‘WE’ on vinyl.As the record spins, you can hear Butler say “first single was” before playing the album’s lead track ‘Lightning I’.

Arcade Fire performed their special live-streamed gig in New Orleans, Louisiana last Friday (April 1), during which they played three songs from their forthcoming sixth album, ‘WE’.The set, which took place at Woldenberg Park as part of a “block party” event hosted by US telco AT&T, ran for over an hour and a half. The indie-rock trailblazers performed a total of 18 tracks, drawing material from all six of their full-length efforts (as well as 2020’s standalone single ‘Generation A’).Kicking off the set were the first two tracks released as singles from ‘WE’, ‘The Lightning I’ and ‘The Lightning II’, which set a soaring and anthemic tone for the night’s performance.

Arcade Fire‘s four-night run of intimate, surprise New York shows raised more than $100,000 for the PLUS1 Ukraine Relief Fund.The Canadian rock band’s unexpected gigs, which took place last week from March 18 – March 21 at New York City’s 575-capacity Bowery Ballroom, were signalled via flyers and social media posts only a few short hours before taking place.

Arcade Fire are set to perform a special livestream show in New Orleans, Louisiana this Friday (April 1).The Canadian band, who recently returned with the single ‘The Lightning I, II’, will play a live set as part of a “block party” event hosted by the US phone company AT&T.Per an official listing, fans will be able to “experience Arcade Fire from every angle with real-time, multi-camera views” via “the power of AT&T 5G”. Support comes from King Princess and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band.Win Butler and co.

Arcade Fire and David Byrne covered Plastic Ono Band‘s protest song ‘Give Peace A Chance’ at the final night of four Ukraine benefit gigs in New York City.The Canadian band were joined by the legendary soloist and former Talking Heads frontman for the rendition of John Lennon and Plastic Ono Band’s 1969 single last night (March 21) at Bowery Ballroom.The performance wrapped Arcade Fire’s stint at the NYC venue that has raised money for the Plus1 Ukraine Relief Fund. Initially, the band announced a last-minute show at the Ballroom on Friday (March 18), saying that attendees could pay what they could afford.But more spontaneous pay-what-you-feel shows followed over the weekend into last night’s gig, at which Byrne made a special appearance as well as actor Mike Myers.A post shared by instatam (@tammietam)Myers made a political speech ahead of the encore, which saw Arcade Fire play ‘Wake Up’ and the unreleased ‘Unconditional I (Lookout Kid)’ from their forthcoming album ‘WE‘.“You can have the government you want, but once you lose democracy, you are fucked.

Will Butler has announced that he’s quit Arcade Fire after two decades in the band.The band were founded by multi-instrumentalist Butler’s brother Win in Montreal in the early 2000s, with Butler joining in 2004 ahead of their debut album, ‘Funeral’. The band returned this week with news of sixth album, ‘WE’, and a video for first single ‘The Lightning I, II’, in which Butler did not appear.In a new series of tweets posted tonight (March 19), Butler has revealed that he left the band at the end of last year, saying that it is “time for new things” and that the band remain his “friends and family”.Butler wrote: Hi friends— I’ve left Arcade Fire.

Arcade Fire have announced a last minute concert in New York tonight (March 18) to help victims in Ukraine.The band took to Instagram today to confirm they are playing a benefit show at the Bowery Ballroom – watch the announcement clip below.In the post, frontman Win Butler and band member Richard Reed Parry can be seen stapling posters for the show on a message board.“Hey New York, we’re gonna play a show tonight, if you guys wanna come,” says frontman Win Butler. “It’s a benefit gig for Ukraine at the Bowery Ballroom.”A post shared by Arcade Fire (@arcadefire)A caption on the clip also says “pay what u can” but no further information on how to purchase the tickets has been posted.It comes after the band played a benefit concert for Ukraine in New Orleans earlier this week.That show saw Arcade Fire play a number of new tracks including their single ‘The Lightning, I, II’, ‘Age of Anxiety’, and ‘Rabbit Hole’.All proceeds from that “pay-what-you-can” gig went to benefit the Plus1 Ukraine relief fund, which is supporting Ukrainian people through non-profits providing humanitarian aid as Russia’s invasion of the country continues.Meanwhile, the band unveiled details of their new album ‘WE’ yesterday (March 17).Speaking about their sixth studio LP, Butler said creating it was “the longest we’ve ever spent writing, uninterrupted, probably ever.”Described as a “concise 40 minute epic” in a statement, it contains seven songs and is “as much about the forces that threaten to pull us away from the people we love, as it is inspired by the urgent need to overcome them”, according to a press release.

Arcade Fire have today (March 17) unveiled details of their new album ‘WE’ and shared new single ‘The Lightning, I, II’ – check it out below.The band’s sixth studio album will arrive on May 6 via Columbia Records and has been produced with long-term Radiohead collaborator, Nigel Godrich along with the band’s Win Butler and Régine Chassagne.Speaking about the new album, Butler said creating it was “the longest we’ve ever spent writing, uninterrupted, probably ever.”Described as a “concise 40 minute epic” in a statement, it contains seven songs and is “as much about the forces that threaten to pull us away from the people we love, as it is inspired by the urgent need to overcome them”, according to a press release.It added: “‘WE’’s cathartic journey follows a definable arc from darkness into light over the course of seven songs divided into two distinct sides – Side ‘I’ channeling the fear and loneliness of isolation and Side ‘WE’ expressing the joy and power of reconnection.”You can listen to the new track here:See the ‘WE’ tracklisting below:‘I’‘Age Of Anxiety I’‘Age Of Anxiety II (Rabbit Hole)’‘WE’‘End Of The Empire I-IV’‘The Lightning I, II’‘Unconditional I (Lookout Kid)’‘Unconditional II (Race and Religion)’‘WE’The album’s cover art, which you can see above, is a photograph of a human eye by the artist JR.

Arcade Fire song has emerged on YouTube – watch ‘Rabbit Hole’ below.It’s come from their last-minute Ukraine benefit concert in New Orleans earlier this week (March 14), where the band also performed two other unreleased tracks.Taking place at Toulouse Theatre, all proceeds from the “pay-what-you-can” gig went to benefit the Plus1 Ukraine relief fund, which is supporting Ukrainian people through non-profits providing humanitarian aid as Russia’s invasion of the country continues.The gig was live-streamed via TikTok and Instagram, and snippets from that recording sees the band performing ‘Lightning I, II’, a song they recently revealed would be released this Thursday (March 17).The band also performed a second unreleased track, ‘Age Of Anxiety’. The song borrows elements from ‘Memories Of The Age of Anxiety’, a 45-minute instrumental ambient track they released for a meditation app last year.

Arcade Fire‘s last-minute Ukraine benefit concert in New Orleans last night (March 14), showing the band performing two unreleased tracks.Taking place at Toulouse Theatre, all proceeds from the “pay-what-you-can” gig will benefit the Plus1 Ukraine relief fund, which is supporting Ukrainian people through non-profits providing humanitarian aid as Russia’s invasion of the country continues.The gig was live-streamed via TikTok and Instagram, and snippets from that recording sees the band performing ‘Lightning I, II’, a song they recently revealed would be released this Thursday (March 17).The band also performed a second unreleased track, ‘Age of Anxiety’. The song borrows elements from ‘Memories of the Age of Anxiety’, a 45-minute instrumental ambient track they released for a meditation app last year.

Arcade Fire have confirmed that they will make their comeback with new single ‘The Lightning I, II’ this week (March 17).The Canadian band last released an album in 2017 with ‘Everything Now’, and have since shared 45-minute track ‘Memories Of The Age of Anxiety’ for a meditation app in 2021, and released a live version of political cut ‘Generation A’ in late 2020.Over the past few weeks, the band have been teasing their return. Earlier this month, a brief snippet of new music appeared on the contact page of the group’s official website.

Arcade Fire have announced a ‘pay what you can’ Ukraine benefit show in New Orleans, Louisiana today – see all the details below.The Canadian band will take to the stage at the city’s Toulouse Theatre venue tonight (March 14). Wristbands are available on the door from 10am local time (maximum one per customer).Per the official gig poster, “all proceeds benefit the Plus 1 Ukraine relief fund”.