Coachella Line-Up Lands for 2012

The highly-anticipated line-up for the colossal Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival has just emerged.
Christopher Kevin Au
January 12, 2012

The highly-anticipated line-up for the colossal Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival has just emerged, and this year the Californian festival will feature one identical line-up playing twice on consecutive weekends in mid-April.

On Friday April 13 & 20, indie rock duo The Black Keys will headline the shows after successfully selling out Madison Square Garden in a matter of minutes. Also performing will be staple house favourites Afrojack and Swedish House Mafia, while rap fans will be treated to a set from Kendrick Lamar, the West Coast's most prized up-and-comer. Concrete Playground was able to chat recently with Alex Turner of the Arctic Monkeys, who will also take the stage on the first day.

On Saturday April 14 & 21, rock giants Radiohead grab the coveted headline spot, while hipster favourites Bon Iver and Feist tail closely behind. Electronic fans will be pleased with the addition of production wizards Flying Lotus and SBTRKT, two acts who are pushing the boundaries of electronic dance music with great creativity. The older demographic of festivalheads can dust off their studded leather jackets for a set from seventies punk legends the Buzzcocks.

The final dates on Sunday April 15 & 22 will be headlined by Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, and who better to close off this Californian festival than the duo who placed the state on the hip-hop map throughout the nineties and beyond. However, the real music shockwave this week was the reformation of At The Drive-In, who's relentless post-hardcore sound still goes unmatched. Instrumental hip-hop heads will also want to see the legendary DJ Shadow and lightning hands of AraabMUZIK, the self-proclaimed "MVP of the MPC." Gotye will fly the Australian flag as the only artist making the trip from Down Under for the 2012 instalment.

You can check out the complete line-up here, but you might want to read it over at least four times, because there's an avalanche of artists to get through. This is a dream festival for most music fans, and a credit to organisers for gathering such a ecclectic range of sounds. If you have some spare coin and free time on your hands, there won't be many other options better than this. Head over to California for a weekend that will go down as one of the all-time greats.

Published on January 12, 2012 by Christopher Kevin Au
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