It might seem like an Onion-esque title, but it couldn’t be any more true.
As the Washington Post reports, volcanic ash clouds from recent eruptions in Iceland drifted to parts of Europe earlier this morning, forcing authorities to shut down airspace in Britain, Ireland, and Scandinavia. How does this relate to Coachella? Well, presently, thousands of passengers destined for the United States are stranded, including a number of UK based bands scheduled to perform at this weekend’s festival.
According to Gigwise.com, Bad Lieutenant, The Cribs, and Frightened Rabbit are among the bands currently stuck in London after having their respective flights canceled. Update: Delphic and Gary Numan are also stuck in the UK. Echo and the Bunnymen, Fever Ray, and Hot Chip are safe. Update #2: The Cribs have canceled… for now. Per Contact Music, they make take a ferry to Amsterdam and fly from there. Update #3: Gary Numan now appears unlikely. Update: #4: The Cribs are officially out.
It is unclear when flights will resume, however, the Wall Street Journal notes that most flights will be canceled until at least tomorrow morning. The Washington Post predicts hundreds of thousand of trans-Atlantic passengers are going to see their flights canceled, delayed or diverted. “The short-term impact will be the greatest we have seen since Sept. 11, 2001,” explained Brent Bowen, the head of Purdue University’s aviation technology department.
We should note that a number of the festival’s larger U.K. bands, including Muse, Gorillaz, Public Image, LTD, The Specials, and Florence & the Machine are already in the U.S. We’ll of course keep you update on any lineup changes and/or cancellations.
Image via Icelandic Coastguard/AP Photo…
