Arcade Fire have been announced as upcoming musical guests on Saturday Night Live.
It will be the fifth time the band have appeared as musical guests on the show and they will next take to the SNL stage on May 7.
The episode will be hosted by The Power of The Dog actor Benedict Cumberbatch. It will be his second time hosting the long-running comedy show after his last stint in November 2016.
Arcade Fire have previously appeared on the show in 2007, 2010, 2013 and 2018.
Benedict!
Arcade Fire! pic.twitter.com/o4bmfrBxaX— Saturday Night Live – SNL (@nbcsnl) April 17, 2022
Meanwhile, Arcade Fire paused their emotional Coachella 2022 set twice on Friday (April 15) on the first day of the festival.
The band was announced as a surprise addition to the lineup on Thursday (April 14) and played at the desert festival’s Mojave tent.
Less than a minute into the set, frontman Win Butler stopped their new track ‘The Lightning I’ after seeing a fan in the front of the pit who needed help. Butler then called for a medic, as the crowd erupted in cheers.
Later in the set, he acknowledged the moment and festival safety, telling the packed tent “If you see someone out of their mind on drugs, find a fucking doctor.”
The band later took another pause during the set, which featured multiple previews from their yet to be released sixth album, ‘WE’.
Before playing their new song, ‘Unconditional I (Lookout Kid)’ Butler dedicated the track to his son. After beginning the first verse with the lyrics, “Look out kid, trust your heart”, Butler stopped, took a moment to wipe his eyes and stood back from the microphone. He then told the crowd, “it’s been a hard fucking year,” before starting from the beginning again.
Last month, Will Butler, brother of Win, announced he’d quit Arcade Fire after almost two decades with the group. “There was no acute reason beyond that I’ve changed – and the band has changed – over the last almost 20 years,” he said in a statement, offering simply that he found it was “time for new things”.
‘WE’ marks Will’s last recording with Arcade Fire. The album is due out on May 6 via Columbia.
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