No Cocteaus for Coachella

Well, this is fucking horrible news:

Press release from the Cocteau Twins:

"It is with regret that Cocteau Twins announce they will not be performing at the Cachella Valley Music Festival on April 30th as had been planned. Due to personal reasons, member Elizabeth Fraser has decided that she is unable to participate in the reunion, and apologies for any inconvenience that this has caused."

Nobody's updated the Cocteau Twins site with this info yet, but they're not listed anymore on the Coachella site. I wonder what the hell happened?

Couldn't Phil just phil-in?

Well, sorry to those who really wanted to see the Cocteaus in the first place, I'd been leaning toward getting a ticket for the first day just cause of them.   Won't be doing that now.

awwwww PISH

i wanted to see them too.....oh yeah, as long as Bauhaus doesn't bau out too, I won't raise that much of a stink about it.

now if they could only get a good replacement band......Bunnymen anyone?

Okay, did a bit more research:

http://www.cocteautwinsforums.com/showthread.php?t=7462 for more info...(registration required)

From Robin Guthrie:

"I know this probably doesn't help, but, well, I'll be there, if the organisers will let me in.....What can I say? We have had no rehearsal, nor discussed a setlist nor have seen each other since the first and only meeting, six weeks ago, when we committed to doing the coachella show. We were due to start rehearsing this week, but, well, now we will not.

I feel for every person who is, well, completely fucked off about this, because,well, you know what? I am extremely fucked off as well....With the exception that I didn't buy tickets, book international travel or any of the other things that will be thrown around in the forecoming debacle about, reasons, who's fault it is, why, etc etc... wtf?

Well it certainly makes me feel nostalgic for those days in '97, the first time I felt that I had found out I was no longer necissary...... it's such a nice way to enter springtime....

My gratitude goes out to all those who have put so much effort into this project behind the scenes, people like Marc Geiger, Brian Ahern, Paul Tollett, Heidi Robinson, Colin Wallace and countless others, as there has been much effort by everyone involved....

I should say no more for the moment, except to again express my apologies to everyone who has lost out on this...Well, I guess that's most of us really.....

"we're in the same place at the same time dealing honestly with how we feel and who we really are"

OK, I guess that applies to how a lot of us feel right now...."

and...

"I've tried to say my part.. If I were invited to play something I'd be happy to... Fuck, I've not even spoken to simon about this...... I'm sure he has is own thoughts on all of this and I feel certain there will be a certain amount of distress and regret on his part. Unfortunately I cannot speak for Elizabeth, or even imagine what her reasons for cancelling the reunion may be, in any form that I can understand. I could hazard a guess, but it would only be a guess and here, would surely not be an appropriate place to voice that........And, you know, to be fair to her, she has the right to change her mind, we all do... I feel it's just not the sort of thing I would have done, after taking on a commitment and winding up the fans.. but, hey, we're all different....

I doubt very much if there is any reason to feel me and simon 'should' play together - that was not the event - the event was the three of us approaching making music together again - Unfortunatly it was never given the chance.. What can I say?"

The faithful aren't exactly pleased with Liz...this is a bit like the Chameleons and Dave Fielding...what a sad way to dash the hopes of their fanbase...of course it'll make their work to date a whole lot more poignant...but frankly, they've had a full career, which I must explore in more detail...been listening to tracks over the past week, including some live performances. ..some stunning stuff. What a bummer.  F**k!

Dashiell Hannett wrote: Couldn't Phil just phil-in?

Not unless he's gelded and starts getting academicans writing about the semiotics of his vocal inflections: http://www.cocteautwins.org/analysis.htm

Johnny Giles wrote:

Hmmm. Well he's put the blame for this squarely at the door step of Liz. No, collective approach to this one. Be interesting to see if that encourages her to make some kinda public statement cos these comments reflect pretty badly on her at the moment.

Just imagine how you'd feel if you'd booked tickets to go out there for the CTs, from the UK. Gutted would not be the word !.

He and her go back quite a ways, it seems, having a child together, and all that.

Turns out Liz notified the rest of the band members when they originally broke up in '97 or whenever it was by FAX.  And this may have been the same, judging from the mystified reaction of her bandmates. I suspect she never had any intention of carrying through, and just wanted to string along Simon and Robin, so she could twist the knife at a time and place of her choosing.  Talk about burning bridges...that there are still CT fans defending her actions (remember, this isn't the first time she's not kept her commitments) makes NO fans look positively unforgiving in comparison.

I would hope that EF says something publicly to explain herself, but the chances of this happening is very low...she was supposed to release a solo album, but I can't see that coming out, especially if she's going to do any publicity for it, since she'll be sunburst and snowblinded over this latest cock-tease...

Coachella should get Cocteau's former labelmates Dead Can Dance to fill in. A nice classical sort of concert in the middle of the festival crowd should be an odd site indeed. DCD will be between European and US tours then, so it could happen. I'd MUCH rather see Her Holiness, Lisa Gerrard than Liz Fraser anyday. Lisa could kick Liz's ass all over the place with her voice. Lisa for President! [Y]

popey you're a heathen!

I remember chatting to Robin Guthrie at a gig years back and he told me in no uncertain terms that the relationship between himself and Liz was so sour that there was absolutely no chance they would ever get back together. he also talked about a half-finished LP they'd been working on that they wanted to tart up and release, but Liz would refuse to even talk about contcats and the like.

There's also a suggestion that her performance at a recent Massive Attack gig was a bit wayward, and that this might have dented her confidence beyond repair. She's alwyas portrayed as this shy nervous creature, but I saw her knokcing back glasses of wine at a Hope Sanodval gig in 2002 and she laughing and chatting away with anyone near to her.

I'm just pissed off  'cos they were apparently planning more dates. Only saw 'em twice.....*sighs*.....

Leave Little LIZ alone she is babe

Maybe Linkin Park could fill in