Yesterday brought the announcement of the Coachella lineup and with it news that both the original lineup of Guns N’ Roses (at least, most of it) and indie-dance luminaries LCD Soundsystem would be reuniting to perform.
Most fans of the James Murphy-fronted group, who gave us much-loved indie anthems like ‘Daft Punk Is Playing At My House’, ‘Losing My Edge’, and ‘All My Friends’, were elated to hear the band are getting back together.
However, some have adopted what Murphy has branded an “o.f.t.g.” attitude. In other words, many are accusing Murphy and his band of reuniting after disbanding at the peak of their powers purely for the money.
In a lengthy post shared via the band’s website, Murphy has hit back at the “cynical cries of foul”, explaining that the band’s reunion isn’t simply a “victory lap” – they’re already partway through recording a new LP and plan to tour post-Coachella.
“i was fully prepared for a certain amount of ‘oh fuck that guy’ over-it stuff – in fact welcomed it,” Murphy writes. “it’s strangely energizing to have people who don’t make music themselves take potshots at you from the internet.”
“and there’s always been a current of o.f.t.g. with me (im saying me and not us because, let’s be honest… no one hates anyone else in lcd, partially because they’re unhateable, and also because they have the wisdom to not shoot their mouths off nearly as much), and that’s just fine.”
“i’m pretty used to it, and find it relatively funny.” Murphy explains that the decision to reunite was made after a creative spurt during which he wrote more songs than he ever had previously and after consulting with his bandmates.
While Murphy admits backlash has been minimal and most fans are happy to see the band reunite, he explains how he was taken aback by the amount of fans who felt betrayed after having attended the band’s historic last show at Madison Square Garden.
“in my naiveté i hadn’t seen one thing coming: there are people who don’t hate us at all, in fact who feel very attached to the band, and have put a lot of themselves into their care of us, who feel betrayed by us coming back and playing,” he writes.
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“who had traveled for or tried to go to the msg show, and who found it to be an important moment for them, which now to them feels cheapened. i just hadn’t considered that. i know—ridiculous on my part.”
After apologising to those fans, Murphy writes that he hopes to rectify the situation by making the best record the band have ever made and playing the best live shows of their careers. “maybe we have a chance to make it right,” he writes.
Readers can check out the full post here, where Murphy promises that the band will be playing “all over” with 2016 tour dates forthcoming. While an Australian visit is up in the air, we’re praying they stop over for a Splendour or a Falls.
