Coachella line-up announced

The lineup for the 2012 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival has been announced. For the first time the same lineups will perform over two consecutive weekends, April 13-15 and again April 20-22 at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, southeast of Palm Springs. The number of veteran acts performing is slight when compared with the dozens of contemporary artists announced. Tickets are on sale.

The lineup on both Friday nights sees venerable ska outfit Madness, who began their career in London in 1976; alt rockers Mazzy Star, who formed in Santa Monica in 1989; and reggae legend Jimmy Cliff, who will be joined by Rancid’s leader Tim Armstrong, join contemporary rockers The Black Keys, a reunion of Pulp, and The Arctic Monkeys.

On both Saturdays, Brit critical darlings Radiohead, who Thom Yorke created in Oxfordshire in 1985; iconic Manchester, English pop-rockers Squeeze (playing their only scheduled dates), England punkers The Buzzcocks, led by Pete Shelley since 1976; alt-rockers firehose — formed by longtime San Pedro resident, singer-bassist Mike Watt in 1986 — will reunite for the first time since breaking up in 1994 (the trio will play a warm-up gig in Sacramento on April 5); and former Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher’s new band, High Flying Birds, will share the stages with The Shins, Feist, The Manchester Orchestra, The Kaiser Chiefs and young hotshot guitarist Gary Clarke, Jr.

The lineup on Sundays will feature the boundless energy of singer Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist and his Swedish garage rock band The Hives, whose buzz-saw “Hate to Say I Told You So” was listed at No. 54 on Q magazine’s 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks; and singer-guitarist Greg Ginn, who formed the legendary hardcore Los Angeles punk band, Black Flag, in Hermosa Beach in 1976, are on the bill with Florence and The Machine, Santigold and headliners Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg.