Let the rumors end: The Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival tonight unveiled the official lineup for the April 15-17 festival, which will include appearances by Duran Duran, Wire and — in one of the lineup’s biggest surprises — a reunion of Mick Jones’ post-Clash project Big Audio Dynamite.
Headlined by Kings of Leon, Arcade Fire, Kanye West and The Strokes, the festival — located on the Empire Polo Grounds in Indio, Calif. — also will feature sets by reunited Britpop legends Suede (still billed, idiotically, in this country as The London Suede), The Black Keys, P.J. Harvey, Interpol, The Chemical Brothers and many more.
Among the heavily rumored artists who didn’t make the final lineup: Synthpop vets Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, which is not surprising, given they’re already set to play Los Angeles within a month of the festival; and Gary Numan, who was considered a safe bet after missing his 2010 slot due to that Icelandic volcano.
As for the BAD reunion, DJ/filmmaker Don Letts said in an interview last April that he had talked to Jones about the possibility while working on last year’s This is Big Audio Dynamite: Legacy Edition. At the time, Letts said: “I could lie to you and say, ‘Not in a million years,’ but… if Mick wasn’t tied up with Gorillaz it might happen this year. (Jones) has looked at me and said, ‘Maybe next year,’ but who knows.”
Ticket details haven’t yet been announced, but you can get more info at Coachella.com.
Suede? Nice! Just wonder if this will be with or without Mr. Bernard Butler.