Has anyone heard about two legendary punk bands, Refused and At The Drive In, have confirmed for Coachella? What are people's opinions on this? It seems like there can often be conflicting views on bands reuniting for festival appearances. Having read the statement from Refused, I kind of feel like there may be some genuine reason behind this move, but it isn't enough to satisfy me.
I feel like in this statement the band have tried to hard to justify that they were never in this band for the money. Of course that doesn't mean that they are not doing this festival appearance for the money, maybe they are saying that it is OK for them to take a big cheque now as they struggled through their real career without seeing much financial benefit. However, the fact that they have said that their last album "The Shape of Punk to Come" needs to be properly justified live performance is possibly a further cover up for the real reasons behind this reunion. Bands play tours to promote/justify albums, not do one off festival slots. So many people will not get to experience Refused Live ever, just because they can't attend Coachella, while many people who have a vague interest in the band will be able to see it if they are at the festival. The only saving grace that I can see for Refused, who said only eighteen months ago that there would be no reunion, is that they are at least playing another festival slot in their home country of Sweden.
2012, January 11 - 7:04pm
Oh man OH MAN, I know! Firstly - what is it with Coachella and these crazy big deal reunions they always manage to blag!!! Last year it was Death From Above 1979 wasn't it! Totally psyched about Refused and At The Drive In, though, as it will be a chance for a LOT of people to see (or indeed, remember) how awesome these bands were - namely live. Well, presuming they still are awesome live, that is. They might all be overweight and old now, HA HA! Which would suck. Ha ha.
But yeh, I know a lot of people are like "oh blah blah they are doing it for money reasons" but I think to be honest, both bands will kill it, particularly At The Drive In...I mean. I know it is kinda against the whole hardcore / punk ethos, but who cares. I'm TOTALLY excited, ha ha. It's exciting for the hardcore/punk genre in general for me.
Refused have come out looking the worst for reuniting as they were so INSISTENT they were not going to reunite...afterall, "Refused Are Fucking Dead" ha ha. Obviously not, though. Ha ha. Do you think they will come and play in the UK???
2012, January 11 - 10:20pm
Yeah Coachella does seem to brand itself with big reunions, even more so than the rest of the festival industry. Rage Against the Machine played their first comeback gig there. Do you know any more about the At The Drive In reunion? Are they staying together, making more music etc or is this it?
I would rather see At The Drive In than Refused to be honest. I know Refused had a massive impact on punk hardcore, which I am massively into, and I know that they are very influential, but that doesn't mean that I have to like their music. I think ethos is very important in hardcore and if I don't agree with a bands lyrics or outlook then it does taint the music for me, but at the end of the day the music comes first. I read that Refused had originally said that they wouldn't reform and based this decision on other bands such as Minor Threat (I think). With their influence on the hardcore scene I think it will make it more acceptable for bands to get back together after having broken up, which I don't necessarily think is a good thing.
I don't know for sure about any UK dates but they have just been announced for Groezrock in Belgium, so I guess it wouldn't be an impossibility for them to make it over here!
2012, January 14 - 6:32pm
I think At The Drive In are planning some big things. To quote their own website - "THIS STATION IS NOW OPERATIONAL!" Ha ha! They are making quite a big deal of it all and seem quite excited to announce the fact they are 'back together'. So yeh, I reckon it will go beyond like Coachella / festival dates and will certainly extend to a world tour AND new material.
At The Drive In are very influential right now, among contemporary artists. Do you agree? So I think a lot of younger kids are looking back to old At The Drive In records to see what the fuss is all about... So yeh, I do think they are in demand, and I think the band recognise this demand, and will consequently do a new album.
That said, does that mean they would be doing it for all the wrong reasons, ha ha? I mean - writing and recording an album simply because they know that the demand is there and it is a chance to make some cash while there is some hype again. Or would you say they are doing this from the good of their hearts???
Hmm, I am not sure. Maybe everyone needs to stop questioning all these bands' ethos / reasons behind their reunion and just enjoy the ride!