Arcade Fire

A combination of indie rock muscle and theatrical, unapologetic bombast turned Arcade Fire into indie royalty in the early 2000s.

Originally comprised of Régine Chassagne, Richard Parry, Tim Kingsbury, and brothers William and Win Butler, the group formed during the summer of 2003, after Win spotted Chassagne singing jazz standards at a Montreal art exhibit.

The grandson of famed swing-era bandleader Alvino Rey, Win was quickly charmed by Chassagne's performance, leading the two to launch a songwriting partnership.

Romance followed shortly thereafter, and the duo expanded its sound by gathering Parry on organ, Kingsbury on bass, and Win Butler's younger brother, William, on synthesizer and percussion.

Drawing from the bandmates' varied influences, Arcade Fire began mining an eclectic mix of bossa nova, punk, French chanson, and classically tinged pop music, referencing everything from U2's passion to David Bowie's eclecticism in the process.

Arcade Fire issued a self-titled EP in 2003, having briefly retreated to Maine for the recording sessions.

Propelled by Win Butler's quavering vocals and his bandmates' symphonic swells, the disc helped earn the band an official offer from Merge Records.

The bandmates' luck faltered later that year, however, when Chassagne's grandmother passed away.

The Butler brothers' grandfather followed suit in March 2004, and Parry's aunt died one month later.

Seeking catharsis in the studio, the members of Arcade Fire funneled their energies into the creation of Funeral.

Released in September 2004, the debut album was met with unanimous acclaim -- both commercially and critically -- and Arcade Fire found themselves maintaining a nearly constant presence on the road, playing such high-profile festivals as Lollapalooza and Coachella between a slew of smaller club dates.

They also appeared on the cover of Time magazine's Canadian edition, garnered a Grammy nomination for Best Alternative Music Album, rubbed shoulders with superfan David Bowie, and toured alongside U2. Following an exhausting year, Arcade Fire decamped to a church outside of Montreal to work on a second release.

The ambitious Neon Bible arrived in March 2007, featuring such grand ornamentations as a pipe organ, a military choir, and a full orchestra.

The album peaked at number two and sparked another tour, which found the band playing more than 120 shows over the course of a year.

When touring wrapped up in early 2008, Arcade Fire played several shows in support of presidential candidate Barack Obama before beginning to work on a third album.

The resulting Suburbs, an eclectic 16-track ode to childhood, suburban sprawl, and middle-class dreams both won and lost, arrived on August 2, 2010.

~ Andrew Leahey, Rovi

Arcade Fire frontman Win Butler said he ''can't see'' himself in a band in a decade's time.

(BANG) -

Arcade Fire frontman Win Butler isn't sure how much longer the band will continue.

The singer and guitarist said he doesn't see himself being in a band and touring in a decade's time, because he's worried he'll be too old.

Win, who has released three albums with the group to date, told Spin magazine: "I can't see myself doing this 10 years from now.

"We've been a band now as long as the Beatles, and pop music is a young man's game."

The Canadian band are currently on their biggest headlining tour to date in support of their recently released album 'The Suburbs' in North America, and will continue to tour in Europe before the end of the year.

The band - which also includes Jeremy Gara, Regine Chassagne, Richard Reed Parry, William Butler, Tim Kingsbury and Sarah Neufeld - said when recently headlining the UK's Reading festival they were worried their large-scale shows could lead to them losing the intimacy they have previously enjoyed with their audience.

Jeremy said: "The fear of playing shows the size we're playing shows now is that you can't connect with the audience.

"Either because of the room, or if the sound is bad."

Arcade Fire are worried about being able to ''connect'' with their fans when they perform at large arenas on their present tour, in support of new album 'The Suburbs'.

(BANG) -

Arcade Fire are worried about being able to "connect" with fans when they perform at arenas on their present tour.

The Canadian alternative group said they are conscious of losing the intimate atmosphere of their shows by playing in larger venues, but remain confident they can rise to the occasion and make their tour a success.

Drummer Jeremy Gara told website NME.com: "The fear of playing shows the size we're playing shows now is that you can't connect with the audience.

"Either because of the room, or if the sound is bad."

The group had experience of playing to huge audiences this weekend, when they headlined the Reading and Leeds festivals in the UK, an experience which the group- which also includes Win Butler, Regine Chassagne, Richard Reed Parry, William Butler, Tim Kingsbury and Sarah Neufeld - admitted was daunting.

From the stage, frontman Win said to the crowd at Reading on Saturday (28.08.10): "It's nice to meet you! Look, we've never had a hit song, so I don't know what the f**k we're doing here, but until someone comes with a hook we're going to stay."

Arcade Fire's third album, 'The Suburbs' is available now, and the band is set to tour North America at the beginning of September, before returning to Europe in November.

Arcade Fire believe their new album 'The Suburbs' comes from a ''darker place'' than their previous effort 'Neon Bible'.

(BANG) -

Arcade Fire's new album comes from a "darker place".

The group have just released 'The Suburbs' and admit they can't understand some of the comparisons that fans have made to the record's predecessor 'Neon Bible' .

Drummer Jeremy Gara said: "To me, it doesn't feel as dark as 'Neon Bible'. Maybe some of the songs feels darker, but I feel it comes from a more... darker place. Even if it's a little more rocking and edgier in places."

The 'Rebellion (Lies)' hitmakers say their change of direction has come about after they tried to keep songs simple and not "fuss" too much with arrangements.

Jeremy explained to XFM: "I think it has more to do with us not trying to fuss over it too much. If a song was really electronic, we left it electronic. There's a song called 'Month Of May' that's a real rocker, and we said, leave it like that. We tried to do the Arcade Fire thing to it, make it bombastic and long and big and it just didn't work."