Arcade Fire: A Biography

Arcade Fire: A Biography
Tags: Mick Middles

Formed around future husband and wife team of Win Butler and Regine Chassagne in 2003, this powerful seven-piece band seemed to define onstage dynamism before they even discovered an audience.  Once beyond the obligatory low-budget debut EP, they fused their complex instrumentation - piano, viola, French horn, accordian, harp, hurdy gurdy, etc. - to produce Funeral, one of the greatest debut albums in decades.  This 2004 release, bolstered by hearty support from the likes of David Bowie, David Byrne and U2, catapulted Arcade Fire to worldwide success.  Triumphant sets at the Coachella, Reading and Latitude festivals only served to continue the momentum. Formed around future husband and wife team of Win Butler and Regine Chassagne in 2003, this powerful seven-piece band seemed to define onstage dynamism before they even discovered an audience.  Once beyond the obligatory low-budget debut EP, they fused their complex instrumentation - piano, viola, French horn, accordian, harp, hurdy gurdy, etc. - to produce Funeral, one of the greatest debut albums in decades.  This 2004 release, bolstered by hearty support from the likes of David Bowie, David Byrne and U2, catapulted Arcade Fire to worldwide success.  Triumphant sets at the Coachella, Reading and Latitude festivals only served to continue the momentum. This book looks beyond the triumphs that gather in their story, to discover a band who are determined to retain the pure yet complex personal dynamic that always set them apart. This book looks beyond the triumphs that gather in their story, to discover a band who are determined to retain the pure yet complex personal dynamic that always set them apart.