While the rest of the music world kicked it into gear at Bonnaroo last weekend, Future Islands played a set at a private gig in Burlington, Vermont. The gig was (and yeah we find it a little bit strange too) organised by online car dealership Dealer.com. The dealership clearly has good taste – or at least a fantastic contact network, because the gig was crashed by none other than Arcade Fire’s Win Butler. The Canadian indie frontman and extraordinaire walked onstage to join Future Islands in a beautiful rendition of their hit single Seasons (Waiting on You).
Butler’s contribution is decidedly Arcade Fire-esque, with trademark wailing vocals and soft ad libs. It’s definitely different to those of Future Islands’ lead singer Samuel Herring, and it provided a lovely 30-second reprieve. As you can see in the fan-captured video below, Butler just casually strolls off stage after his appearance. It’s no wonder he’s so casual, having made headlines with a similar cameo appearance in 2014, performing the same song with Future Islands in his home town of Montreal.
Future Islands is set to play a number of shows in Europe throughout the coming months. Let’s hope that more collaborations between the two artists is on the way!