The third night of this year’s Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival promises to be particularly excellent, with headlining cartoon primates Gorillaz supported by acts including a reunited Pavement and Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke. Or, as the official festival poster released today identifies him, “Thom Yorke????”
What’s with all the question marks? No big mystery. Yorke is definitely playing Coachella on Sunday, April 18. His reps tell the Music Mix that he intends to perform with the same backing band he assembled for a handful of Los Angeles dates last fall (pictured) — Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, producer Nigel Godrich, and seasoned session hands Joey Waronker and Mauro Refosco. Yorke never got around to naming the new band back then, resulting in some mysterious marquee displays around L.A., and now he’s decided to stick with the same question marks to indicate those guys’ presence.
The timing of the announcement is interesting, considering that Radiohead were reportedly planning to get back to work on their eighth album right about now. (His reps wouldn’t say anything about how those plans are progressing.) Dare we dream that he might have some more new Radiohead material to debut by April? Either way, I just hope Yorke — with or without the question mark gang — books a date a little closer to the East Coast soon. I’m going crazy over here!
Any other diehard fans feeling the same way? Or are you lucky enough to be seeing Thom Yorke???? at Coachella this spring?
(Follow the Music Mix on Twitter: @EWMusicMix.)
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Photo credit: John Shearer/Getty Images
Probably doing mostly songs from The Eraser with some new/old radiohead mixed in? imo, reunited Pavement should be headlining!
He is legendary
this report is worthless.!!!
Already knew about the ??? business but I’m still happy he’s playing.
@matt: then don’t comment, Stupid!
Thom and ???? will just kill it! Wait and see. I feel for the ones who will get to the stage after him man… Gorillaz or not, they don’t stand a chance. Thom Yorke and Flea are monsters together, it is the MUST SEE act of the festival.
I highly doubt that. The rare opportunity to see Gorillaz live, particularly under the desert sky, will easily be the highlight of Sunday night.
I wouldn’t hold my breath for a new Radiohead album. Thom Yorke said flat out months ago that they had no plans to release further LPs. They’re planning to do singles.
Actually Ed O’Brien clarified that in a NME interview. Found this snippet from AtEase (Radiohead site).
Ed O’Brien told NME that with sessions planned this winter the band would “definitely” be releasing a full album physically next year.
“We were misquoted,” claimed O’Brien of Yorke’s comments, loudly adding, “WE WILL BE MAKING AN ALBUM!”
Does he have new material coming out this year?
Radiohead are in studio right now. Thom will be on the next Liars album and doing score for a documentary about Tibet. And has time for his ???? band. Thom works in all fronts, fans should not worry about it.
The band already announced that they would be making an album this year…the article you read didn’t include the part where he said “not straight off”….
Sunday has the best line-up hands down. Pavement, Yorke, Gorillaz. SPATZ!
yes sunday is SICK!
Totally agree! Wish he’d come on over to the East Coast. The people on the west coast are so spoiled!
Hahaha. It’s still a little weird – He’s been spotted in LA (With Colin & Ed) just a couple days ago, when supposedly Radiohead was going into the studio this month?? Recording in LA? ..or… Hmmm….!
I heard they’re not selling single day tickets this year? I want to see Yorke but not the other two nights.
No, they are selling single day tix as far as I know. But they go extremely fast. So you have to buy them right away.
They are NOT selling one day tickets only 3-day passes for a 300+ … it’s a bunch of crap.
There is about zero chance that I will get to see this amazing event happen, and that depresses the hell out of me.
Thom Yorke is a genius. And the Coachella line-up (Pavement! Gorillaz! Jay-Z!) has me even more depressed that I’ll be missing out
A Thom Yorke performance? Sure, great whatever. But what about friggin Radiohead? Seems lame that he is headlining this kind of thing without his proper band that he is supposedly working on music with currently. He’s not that f***ing special withing Radiohead.
haha wow.. you suck.
Dude,
I am dying so bad to see them that I might just fly to LAX for the weekend. I did it last summer in Europe and it was well worth it. Why can’t they do NYC??
i live in coachella!!!!