Radiohead’s bunker debut
Radiohead has opened a purpose-built 17,000‑square‑foot film-and-art installation in a bunker beneath Coachella’s polo fields, and it’s being treated less like a side activation and more like a major immersive artwork tied to the band’s presence at the festival. The scale — a 17,000‑sq‑ft subterranean project — makes it one of the festival’s most substantial art pieces this weekend and signals how Coachella is leaning into large-scale visual projects as part of the music program. (musically.com)
Coachella is opening a literal bunker under the Empire Polo Club this weekend, and Radiohead is using it for a 75-minute film-and-art piece instead of a normal festival-side pop-up. The space is 17,000 square feet with 38-foot ceilings, and all Coachella ticket holders can enter it starting April 10, 2026. (musically.com) The project is called “Motion Picture House: KID A MNESIA,” and it is built around artwork Thom Yorke and Stanley Donwood made while Radiohead were creating *Kid A* in 2000 and *Amnesiac* in 2001. The installation uses sketches, paintings, collages, notes, and audio fragments from that period rather than new album material. (music-news.com) This is not the first version of *Kid A Mnesia*. Radiohead and Epic Games released a virtual edition in November 2021 for computers and PlayStation 5 after an earlier plan for a physical exhibition was derailed during the Covid-19 period. (musically.com) The Coachella version turns that screen-based project back into the thing it was originally meant to be: a room you walk into. Director Sean Evans is credited on the new large-format presentation, and the bunker was purpose-built to house it underground rather than inside a standard tent or theater. (slantmagazine.com) Inside, the sound is being pushed through a custom six-point surround system made for a remixed soundtrack. Thom Yorke described the internal story as a “Monster” trapped in a derelict museum, which gives a clue that this is being framed more like a dream-space than a concert film. (consequence.net) The setting matters because Coachella has shown art for years, but this one is being embedded into the festival like a destination. The Desert Sun reported on April 6 that the new bunker itself was built at the Empire Polo Club specifically to host a Radiohead-related large-format film tied to those two early-2000s albums. (desertsun.com) Radiohead is also treating Coachella as the launch site, not the only stop. After the festival’s two weekends, the installation is scheduled to move to Brooklyn from May 6 to May 31, Chicago from July 30 to August 23, Mexico City from October 27 to November 29, and San Francisco from January 8 to February 1, 2027. (jambands.com) That makes the bunker debut feel less like festival decoration and more like the opening of a touring exhibition with Coachella as its first audience. For a festival better known for giant outdoor stages and livestreamed sets, one of the biggest new attractions in 2026 is a buried room showing Radiohead’s art from 25 years ago. (variety.com)
