The Coachella 2026 lineup had, seemingly, begun leaking in the days before its official announcement, as names such as Sabrina Carpenter and Karol G started being discussed as possible headliners. Though, with both names on the heels of widely successful projects, it was hardly a “crystal ball” suggestion — it just so happened to be correct.
Saturday headliner Justin Bieber is still simmering down from a revival that resulted in two consecutive albums — “Swag” and “Swag II,” released on July 11 and Sept. 5, respectively — making his presence at the fest pretty much inevitable.
However, the real crown jewel hiding in the lineup’s fine text was an additional feature that would set off alarms: the inclusion of a group called “Nine Inch Noize” and “The Bunker Debut Of Radiohead Kid A Mnesia,” which was included at the bottom of Coachella’s lineup. Given the online fervor of both these acts it’s worth doing a quick summary of what we know about them.
Naturally, longtime fans of the English quartet swarmed social media to speculate a surprise appearance from the band. Given that Radiohead just announced its first live shows in seven years, it was mentally conceivable that they could throw in an Indio pit stop.
“Surely I’m not the only one noticing Radiohead on the Coachella lineup…” one fan wrote. Another chimed in, “What’s this about the Bunker debut of “Radiohead Kid A mnesia”… So exciting.”
Not only this, but the lineup’s Friday undercards included “Nine Inch Noize,” which seems to be a collaborative project between Nine Inch Nails and German electronic music producer Boys Noize, otherwise known as Alex Ridha. This would be NIN’s first appearance at the festival since 2005.
This one is a bit easier to break down. For context, Boys Noize provided support for Trent Reznor’s brainchild on their recent “Peel It Back” tour and even pumped out some remixes of the band’s hits.
“NIN is listed as Nine Inch Noize. That’s probably because Boys Noize has already been performing as a quasi-half member on the current tour,” one fan explained.
Past performances included a rendition of “Closer,” NIN’s second single off of its lauded sophomore album, “The Downward Spiral,” released in 1994. Though the track already leans into electronic elements, Boys Noize heightens these by tenfold into a techno bliss. On stage, Reznor bounces around under purple lights while Ridha glides along his deck.
Under a YouTube video of the live show, viewers flocked to the comments to demand more of the two: “I need a f— studio version of this remix,” one wrote.
Boys Noize is also listed separately as a performer at the festival, on Saturday.
Back to Radiohead: If the release of Radiohead’s Kid A Mnesia flew over your head, fear not. The compilation album mashes together the best of two albums: “Kid A” and “Amnesiac,” which came out just eight months apart. Its release in 2021 got some buzz, as members of the band began teasing it on social media and eager listeners began to think it may be a tour or even — the holy grail — a new album.
But, no, it would not be the long-awaited 10th studio album from Radiohead, its last release having been the gloomy but beautiful “A Moon Shaped Pool” in 2016. Instead they got “Kid A Mnesia,” which seemingly draws on commentary that the similar sonic palette between the two suggests “Amnesiac” may very well be the leftover of “Kid A.”
But what is a project from four years ago doing on the Coachella 2026 lineup and what is the Bunker?
Starting with the bad news, a representative of Radiohead told The Times “that the band will not physically be at Coachella” and there are “more details to come.” So, no, the band will not make its return to Indio — the band members last played the festival in 2017.
We can’t exactly pinpoint whatthe Bunker is, but it may have something to do with an immersive exhibition the band released alongside the compilation in 2021. It describes itself as “an upside-down digital/analogue universe” that draws from original artwork and recordings to “commemorate 21 years of Kid A and Amnesiac.”
This would align with Radiohead’s recent extracurriculars, as in August the band opened “This Is What You Get,” an exhibition that examined the visual identity of the band throughout its existence. It’s running at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford until Jan. 11, 2026.
The post What’s the deal with Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails at Coachella? appeared first on Los Angeles Times.
