As we slide towards the end of 2013 and another year of musical ups and downs is laid to rest, it is worth reflecting on those artists who made the decision to go separate ways with their fellow bandmates during the course of the past twelve months. Some made more of an impression than others and will no doubt be sorely missed by their fans; for others, it was time to draw things to a close. Either way, remember to love your artist while you still have them, who knows what splits are already being contemplated for 2014.
S.C.U.M
Back in January, the band announced that they had gone their separate ways after five years together. Led by Tom Cohen, they did not give a reason for their split but had been quiet since playing Reading and Leeds Festivals in August 2012. A message posted on Facebook on January 12 read: "Hello everyone, It seems an appropriate time to announce after a long hiatus - S.C.U.M have collectively decided that we will no longer play or continue to write together. We'd all like to thank you for all of your support but we have chosen to part ways and work on new projects. See you all very soon." SCUM released one album - 2011's 'Again Into Eyes', featuring the singles 'Amber Hands', 'Faith Unfolds' and 'Whitechapel'.
THE MARS VOLTA
Texan post-prog rock outfit, after six albums and ten years together, The Mars Volta split in January. Singer Cedric Bixler-Zavala announced on Twitter that he was dissolving the band, blaming guitarist and co-founder Omar Rodríguez-López for his lack of interest. "I can't sit here and pretend any more," Bixler-Zavala said.
GENERAL FIASCO
Northern Ireland's General Fiasco cancelled their planned tour and put the band on "hold" in January, they announced on their Facebook and Twitter pages: "We don't make this decision lightly and we hope you understand." The band formed in 2007 and released two albums as well as a number of singles and EPs.
MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE
In March, US rockers My Chemical Romance announced they were splitting after having been together since 2001 and released four albums. They posted a message on their website which said: "Being in this band for the past 12 years has been a true blessing. We've gotten to go places we never knew we would. We've been able to see and experience things we never imagined possible. We've shared the stage with people we admire, people we look up to, and best of all, our friends. And now, like all great things, it has come time for it to end. Thanks for all of your support, and for being part of the adventure."
ATTACK! ATTACK!
The Welsh rock band announced they were ending in March - after an April/May UK tour and album 'Long Road To Nowhere's release in April. A statement posted on their Facebook page read [abridged]: "It is with much regret that we have to inform you that Mike and Ryan are no longer in Attack! Attack! We sat down with Ryan in early 2012 and he told us that it was becoming increasingly difficult for him to commit to the band. We hoped that this situation would change but unfortunately it hasn't. Since recording the album Mike has decided that the time has come for him to move on too...The 4 of us have shared some amazing moments together...To be honest we couldn't imagine continuing the band without Mike and Ryan being in it, Attack! Attack! was meant to be the 4 of us together and if it can't be that way then Will and I feel it is better for the band to finish..."
GIRLS ALOUD
Girls Aloud announced they were splitting up following the last night of their 10-year celebration tour in March. A tweet from the band's official account said: "We have now come to the end of our incredible time together." The message was sent shortly after the five singers came off stage st Liverpool's Echo Arena.
JLS
Despite announcing back in April they were disbanding, it took a farewell tour eight months later in December and a greatest hits album before the 2009 X Factor runners-up finally went. In a statement, the band said: "It has been the most incredible journey over the last 6 years and we have achieved more things than we could have ever dreamed possible. Thanks to all of you guys, your support, your dedication and your love, you have changed our lives forever and we wouldn't be where we are today without you."
LULS
May saw London-based LULS calling a halt to proceedings, releasing a a statement which read: "We'd like to extend a massive thank you to everyone who has come to see us, helped us, listened to our music and just generally been supportive over the last year. Unfortunately we aren't going to be continuing with LULS, we hope that doesn't seem ungrateful. See you around......maybe."
THE LINES
The four-piece indie rock band from Wolverhampton, signed to Amboy Road Records, called it a day in May after seven years together, with announcements on their Facebook and Twitter pages. The Twitter announcement stated "It's been fun but it's time to go. Thank you all for the most brilliant support. Big love to you x"
DROP OUT VENUS
South London three-piece Drop Out Venus decided to call it quits in June. In a statement issued by the band's singer Iva Moskovich, the following was stated: “The reason for this is that, due to secret circumstances, we felt that it was better to start afresh. Thank you to all the amazing people who have supported us and me personally. I can honestly say that I haven’t gone for more than two days in the last six months without receiving a message or an e-mail or a letter from someone to express love and support. That has been most special and most humbling to me. I will without a doubt still be making music with Chris as we have shared a soul since we were 16 years old, but we need a clean slate. We’ll keep you posted.” They marked the split by releasing their 'Glitz' EP as a ‘name your price’ digital download.
THE CHAPMAN FAMILY
Stockton's finest announced the end in July, as follows: “We'd like to thank everyone that's been in the band, everyone we've ever worked with, every promoter that's ever put us on, every venue worker we've ever met, every soundman that has asked us to turn up and not down, every blog that has interviewed us, every DJ that's played our songs, every magazine or newspaper that's taken an interest and every one of you who's ever had their heads turned slightly by us or their eardrums blown." As a parting gift, they put out 'We Stick Together' as a digital download.
THE POSTAL SERVICE
The cult electro rockers split for good following their show at the Lollapalooza music festival at the beginning of August. The band had only reunited earlier on the year following an extended hiatus for a tour marking the 10th anniversary of their 2003 album 'Give Up'. Frontman Ben Gibbard took to his Twitter page shortly before the band's set at Lollapalooza to announce the group's split.
STAGECOACH
After ten years as a band, Stagecoach posted a message on their Tumblr in September to confirm the end - just four months after the release of their ' Say Hi To The Band' album came out: "After 10 incredible years we have decided to close the book on what has been an amazing adventure. From small beginnings at a Dorking open mic to jamming with Phoenix and opening for Jimmy Eat World it really has been a wonderful journey which we’ve all cherished. We got to realise some of our teenage dreams such as recording at Maida Vale and playing the Reading festival, things we didn’t even think were possible. We’d like to thank everybody who came to a gig, bought a record, voted for us, wore a t-shirt, recommended us to a friend, blogged about us and also all the fantastic bands we have met along the way who we now call friends. Although it is sad we feel it is the right time to stop and look back proudly on what became bigger than we ever hoped or planned. As The Hold Steady sung, we had some massive nights. Hopefully some of which we shared with you!"
SPECTRALS
Louis Jones - aka Spectrals - posted the following brief and to the point notice on his facebook page in September (shortly after releasing second album 'Sob Story'): "I've decided to quit doing music as Spectrals. All upcoming shows are cancelled. Thank you!" Jones started Spectrals in 2009 in Yorkshire, with brother Will joining before their first album, 2011's acclaimed 'Bad Penny'.
WET NUNS
Yorkshire’s Rob Graham and Alex Notts - trading as Wet Nuns - called time in September as they “hate the sight of each other”. The duo - who got together in 2009 - said farewell with a final round of gigs, ‘The Death Tour’, and by releasing their first - and last - album, in October.
HEAVY WAVES
In September, Ed Taylor, one half of the Birmingham lo-fi pop scuzz duo (with Luke Morgan) posted the following on the band's Twitter page: "Friends, I'm leaving Heavy Waves for now. After nearly 2 years, I've felt it's time to move on, a choice that Luke and I have made together. I'll be involved in other musical projects in the future, so keep your ear to the ground. A big thanks to you all for supporting the band, it was a blast, and I'll see you soon. Mucho amor, Ed x"
LOSTPROPHETS
The writing was on the wall as far back as December 2012 with the announcement that the band's vocalist Ian Watkins had been arrested on charges of child sex abuse. But it was not until October that the official statement came that after 15 years they had called it a day. "We can no longer continue making or performing music as Lostprophets," a statement said on Facebook. "After nearly a year of coming to terms with our heartache, we finally feel ready to announce publicly what we have thought privately for some time. Your love and support over the past 15 years has been tremendous, and we'll be forever grateful for all you've given us. As we look forward to the next phase of our lives, we can only hope to be surrounded by people as devoted and inspiring as you guys have been."
SOUND OF GUNS
Alternative rock band from Liverpool who formed in 2008 and released their debut album 'What Came From Fire' in June 2010 and second album 'Angels and Enemies' in March 2012, announced a 'hiatus' in October. Posting on their Facebook page, they issued the following: "Hello everyone. We thought it would be best to address the rumours going round about the band.Sound Of Guns are going on a hiatus. We have all decided to take a break from the band so that we can focus on other commitments/projects that we have put aside for the past 5 years. We'd like to thank everyone for all their endless support. Our families, friends and everyone who has worked tirelessly in getting the band to were it is today. Most importantly we'd like to thank our fans. Without you guys we wouldn't be anywhere and the support from you has kept us going strong for the past five years."
CHAPEL CLUB
The London five-piece ended their four-year relationship in October after two albums, 2011's 'Palace' and this year's 'Good Together'. Their statement: "As of last week's show in London, Chapel Club is no more. We don't like to think of it as splitting up, because we all still get along very well and the word 'split' implies a kind of collapse or implosion, something ugly and destructive and inevitable. That's not how it feels to us. It's more like we're setting CC aside as having outlived its usefulness. Despite all the amazing fans around the world and all the fun we've had over the last four years (for whom and for which we will always be deeply grateful), Chapel Club as a creative entity has collected a lot of baggage. And lugging that around just started to seem unnecessary. Maybe you'll meet us again in other guises; we obviously don't intend to stop making music (or other things). Who knows. The main thing is you helped us to learn a lot and to make some pretty great memories in the process. And maybe a few good songs. Thank you for the opportunity, and see you around."
JONAS BROTHERS
After selling over eight million albums, the Jonas Brothers announced they had reached a ‘unanimous decision’ to break up, following rumours of a deep rift in the group. They had previously told their Twitter followers: "Please hold while we get our sh*t together". However, band member Kevin then confirmed that there was no way back, telling People magazine: "It’s over for now."
KEANE
After 16 years together, Keane announced in late October they were disbanding so lead singer Tom Chaplin was free to work on solo material. A spokesman for the band confirmed the news, saying: "Keane are taking a break after the Best Of to pursue their own projects." However, Chaplin himself later denied this, saying, "This is something that has been twisted by one particular article in one particular newspaper over the weekend. All we've said is that we've been very busy for a few years and we'd like to take a bit of time out from being Keane, and somehow that has morphed into 'Keane are splitting up'." Watch this space.
TRIBES
At the beginning of November, the London-based band announced they had split after four years together, with posts on their official Facebook and Twitter pages. "We are sad to announce that we will no longer be writing and performing together as Tribes. Thank you to everyone who supported us along the way. We are proud of what we achieved together. You gave us the best four years of our lives so far." The band released their second album 'Wish To Scream' earlier this year.
BLANK MAPS
The Newcastle quartet who formed in 2010 split in November, issuing the following on their Facebook page: "Hi, everybody. So tonight we're up at The Cluny for Communion Newcastle with the excellent Mausi, Lilliput, Natasha Haws and Crooked Hands and then that's it for Blank Maps. Well, almost. We might have a special goodbye treat for you guys in the next few days to say thank you for being the awesomest ever over the past 3 years. But for now you should be here tonight. I, for one, am not going to forget it."
PURESSENCE
Manchester's indie shoegaze oufit who had formed in 2008, announced their end in November: "It is with great regret that I have to say Puressence have split for good. Thank you to anyone who has ever supported us, you know who you are - James"
THE WALKMEN
At the end of November, The Walkmen's bassist Peter Bauer announced the band - after 13 years together - were going on an "extreme hiatus", and that whilst they had "not split", neither had they plans to write or record together in the future.
MT. WOLF
At the beginning of December the band gave the shock news in a statement on their website: "It is with a heavy heart we must announce that Mt Wolf has decided to split due to creative differences in the band. It's been the best two years of our lives so it has not been an easy decision and is really upsetting for all of us that this journey has now come to an end. We'd like to thank anyone who has listened to our music, who has come to see us live and anyone who has helped us get this far - particularly to the amazing team we have around us. We will all be working on new projects in music and are excited by what the future may bring, we hope to catch some of you along the way and wish you all the very best." Mt Wolf released two EPs, 'Life Size Ghosts' in 2012 and 'Hypolight' earlier this year.
THEE OH SEES
Something of a question-mark still over this one: are they splitting or not? The San Francisco garage rock outfit announced an 'indefinite hiatus' in early December; although John Dwyer released a statement saying that the band is not breaking up and will have a new album out in early 2014, and "THIS IS JUST A WELL DESERVED BREAK AND A TRANSITIONAL PERIOD." We wait to see.
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