Watch Arcade Fire debut new songs as they kick off ‘Pink Elephant’ era at Mexico show

Arcade Fire debuted new songs from their upcoming album ‘Pink Elephant’ at a show in Mexico last night (April 22). Check out the footage below.

• READ MORE: Arcade Fire’s ‘Funeral’ at 15: the album that killed indie rock as we knew it

The Canadian indie rockers are preparing to release their seventh album on May 9, and so far they have previewed the record with the lead single ‘Year Of The Snake’.

A range of international cities will be getting live previews of the album, and the string of shows kicked off in Mexico City last night (April 22). Stops in New Orleans, Charleston, Montreal, Toronto, Brooklyn and Philadelphia will follow, after which they will play a one-off show at London’s Royal Albert Hall on May 14. Find tickets for the North American shows here and the London show here from April 24.

Last night’s gig saw the band play two acts, with the first consisting of the live debut of a handful of songs from the upcoming LP, including its title track. Other songs played for the first time were ‘Circle of Trust’, an alt-pop track reminiscent of the Pet Shop Boys, the industrial rock-imbued ‘Alien Nation’, ‘Ride or Die’, ‘I Love Her Shadow’ and catchy ‘Stuck in My Head’.

Then, in act two, they played a string of fan-favourite hits, including ‘Age of Anxiety II (Rabbit Hole)’, ‘Everything Now’ and ‘The Suburbs’.

Check out the footage below.

I really love “Circle of Trust”
byu/Renton27 inarcadefire

Alien Nation… or how Win send his jacket to the clouds
byu/Renton27 inarcadefire

Stuck in my head
byu/Renton27 inarcadefire

Prior to the show, the band announced that Richard Reed Parry wouldn’t be joining the tour due to paternity leave.

‘Pink Elephant’ is said to explore a “cinematic mystical punk” approach. When it was first announced, it was confirmed that it would span 42 minutes and include 10 new songs – all of which were recorded at Win Butler and Régine Chassagne’s own Good News Recording Studio in New Orleans.

The lead single sees Chassagne deliver soothing vocals and make her Arcade Fire debut on the bass, while frontman Win Butler sits behind the drum kit for the first time with the band. Check it out above and visit here to pre-order ‘Pink Elephant’.

News of new material follows on from allegations of sexual misconduct that arose against Butler. Four people came forward to accuse the singer of inappropriate behaviour, and the accusations also led to Feist leaving her tour early. Butler replied to the allegations in a lengthy statement of his own, claiming he was “very sorry to anyone who I have hurt with my behaviour” but maintaining that “these relationships were all consensual”.

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