Coachella to announce 2008 line-up as rumors circulate :: Music News :: Articles

In the typically-slow news month of January, guessing summer festival line-ups is a popular pastime for journalists and music fans alike. Both Bonnaroo's and Coachella's official rosters will be announced in the coming weeks; intense speculation about the West Coast fest is already under way after the online appearance of the latest in the '08 crop of easily-Photoshoppable Coachella posters.

Kevin Bronson of the L.A. Times stated in a Jan. 14 blog post that the official roster will be announced next week, adding that he "was told cryptically [that the roster] might include a surprising veteran act or two (not David Bowie)," but that the veterans will definitely not be recently reunited shoegaze pioneers My Bloody Valentine.

Bronson also offered a lengthy list of bands supposedly playing in Indio in '08, including Death Cab for Cutie, Jens Lekman, Spiritualized, Cold War Kids, Battles, Dan Deacon, Justice and recent All Tomorrow's Parties curators Portishead. Commenters on the post continue to fuel the rumor mill and offer their opinions, informed or otherwise (Snapdragon: "Bands like Louis XIV do not belong at any festival except the Juggalo Gathering."). So far, all that's been confirmed by Coachella organizers are the dates of the 2008 fest: April 25-27.

For any Northeasterners feeling left out of the festival excitement, various reputable news sources have reported that Goldenvoice, the presenters of Coachella, may be planning an East Coast version—possibly to be held in late summer '08 at Liberty State Park in New Jersey, and possibly featuring Radiohead and Jack Johnson as the headliners.