Happy 2018! Coachella has just announced this year’s lineup which includes headliners The Weeknd, Beyonce (rescheduled from last year),and Eminem. Also playing: SZA, Haim, Odesza, St. Vincent, Tyler the Creator, David Byrne, Vince Staples, alt-J, A Perfect Circle, The War on Drugs, Fleet Foxes, Migos, Cardi B, Miguel, King Krule, Jean Michel Jarre, Angel Olsen, Kelela, Alvvays, Oh Sees, The Drums, and tons more. The whole lineup is in the poster above.
One of the surprises in the lineup is high Friday placement (above St. Vincent and The War on Drugs) of Jamiroquai, best known for his big hats, didgeridoo-inflected acid jazz, and 1996 hit “Virtual Insanity” (and it’s cool video). He returned in 2017 with Automaton, his first album in six years, which found him adding some electro noise to recognizable sound. You can watch the “Automaton” video below.
Also getting pretty high placement on the Friday lineups are Belgium’s Soulwax who haven’t really toured North America since Night Versions. Led by brothers David and Stephen Dewaele, Soulwax hadn’t released a proper studio album under their own name since Night Versions either, until last year’s From Deewee which they and their very skilled live band recorded live in the studio in a single take. Anyway who saw the Night Versions tour knows Soulwax are a force live, and we can only hope they’ll tour North American around their Coachella appearances.
If you were wondering, Belly, the rapper, is playing, not Belly the reunited ’90s alt-rockers.
If you squint at the poster, there are some interesting eclectic choices further down, including Fazerdaze and Helado Negro on the Fridays; Yaeji, Cherry Glazerr, Big Thief and Priests (all of whom have albums on our Best of 2017 list) on the Saturdays; and Japanese Breakfast, John Maus, Snail Mail, and Brooklyn’s Wire-influenced B Boys on the Sundays.
The two weekends of Coachella happen April 13 – 15 and April 20 – 22.