[News] Grammy Awards 2011: Who the hell are Arcade Fire?

Grammy Awards fallout - Who the hell are Arcade Fire?
by NME

Arcade Fire won the Best Album Grammy Award the other night for 'The Suburbs'.

Only in the fusty timewarp world of the Grammys could this be regarded as an "upset" - the brilliance of 'The Suburbs' has surely been trumpeted by every magazine, newspaper, and website in Christendom - but it turns out vast swathes of America have never heard of the Canadian indie-rockers.

In the Best Album category Arcade Fire were up against Eminem, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga and Lady Antebellum. The second the result was announced, many of the fans of those acts voiced their outrage and bafflement via Twitter and Facebook.

Highlights of this collective redneck headscratching include:

"What the heck is a r k fire?"

"Never heard of Arcade Fire. Don't do hippy shit."

"What is an Arcade Fire and why are people excited for it?"

And best of all:

"Who are The Suburbs?"

Loads more of these have been collected by the excellent blog Who Is Arcade Fire. It's a fascinating window into the astonishingly closed-minded world of mainstream America.

Poor old Arcade Fire. They're just too anonymous. Perhaps they should have turned up to the awards inside a giant egg..?

Record of the Year
'Need You Now,' Lady Antebellum
Album of the Year
'The Suburbs,' Arcade Fire
Song of the Year
'Need You Now,' Lady Antebellum
Best New Artist
Esperanza Spalding
Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
'Bad Romance,' Lady Gaga
Best Rap Album
'Recovery,' Eminem
Best Country Album
'Need You Now,' Lady Antebellum
Best Pop Vocal Album
'The Fame Monster,' Lady Gaga
Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
'Just the Way You Are,' Bruno Mars
Best Alternative Music Album
'Brothers,' The Black Keys

Best Country Song

'Need You Now,' Lady Antebellum

Best Rap Song
'Empire State Of Mind,' Jay-Z and Alicia Keys

Best Pop Performance by a Group or Duo with Vocals
'Hey, Soul Sister (Live),' Train

Best Rock Album
'The Resistance,' Muse

Best Rock Song
'Angry World,' Neil Young

Best Hard Rock Performance

New Fang,' Them Crooked Vultures

Best Metal Performance
'El Dorado,' Iron Maiden
Best R&B Song
'Shine,' John Legend and the Roots
Best R&B Album
'Wake Up!,' John Legend and the Roots
Best Contemporary R&B Album
'Raymond V Raymond,' Usher