Signs A Band Is Over

Everyone has their favourite bands. Some change all the time whilst others become long-term favourites. When I was younger, my favourites flatuated between Spice Girls, Sugababes, Atomic Kitten, Kaiser Chiefs and Busted. As I got older my tastes have changed and I have firm favourites like Depeche Mode and Nightwish. A lot of bands that I have loved have now split up. Sometimes it is hard, but necessary if there is tension between band members or if they want to go their own separate ways and do their own thing.

Sometimes bands assure fans that they are making a new album and it’s coming soon. Soon turns into years and all the hype dies by the time they actually release anything, that’s it they release anything at all. I’ve followed bands of different genres over the years and can sometimes have a hunch weather they will stick around or split up.

Sometimes I’m wrong, but just because they split up, dosen’t mean that they don’t reunite now and then. On rare occasions like Take That reunite after disbanding and go on to become more successful. Some bands like Steps and Spice Girls get together and do tours. Then you get bands like Sugababes 8th studio album release has been delayed so many times, it will likely never see the light of day. None of these bands want to disappoint their fans.

They’re Making Excuses

Sometimes there are legal issues and personal conflicts that stop a band from getting together. Crappy management and payment issues can take a drain out of it. Demos have leaked and now they’ve spat the dummy. If they say new work is coming, but it hasn’t and they make excuses for it. Yeah, there’s a chance they’ve spit up on the quiet.

There’s also a chance that if they worked under a major label, and they get dropped, then there’s a chance that it’s over for the band. B*Witched, We Are The Fallen, Girls That Catch, Glasvegas, Morrissey, The Stooges, etc.. I bet there’s a lot of bands that for dropped and then went on to become massive successes. The sad fact is that a lot of bands are dropped and disbanded before they release their first album.

Mistreatment

Blaming fans is a no-go. Even though fandoms can be weird, we must still be respectful. If you blame fans for leaking your music, you’re an asshole. It’s not their fault. Someone in your team has been leaking work without your consent.

People that pick on band members refuse to see them for who they are: normal human beings. The thing about the glitz and glam of the celebrity world is that they’re not seen as people but robots. So they think it’s okay to bash and insult them because they think they get away with it. Those were not fans but mere trolls. Jessie from Little Mix had her mental health in shatters because of them. I’m glad she made that documentary.

It works both ways. Being in a band is like being part of a big family with you and your band members, the music industry and the fans.

Members Leave

On most occasions, people will only notice if the lead singer is leaving. Though if you’re in a pop band where all of you sing, it’s very obvious. Just because one member decides to live, it dosen’t mean it’s the end of the road for them right away. All bands are temporary on the larger scale of things. People leave for a reason.

Pop bands like Hear‘say were not destinied to last and were signed to fill arenas. When Kym Marsh left the band, they were never able to stay relevant and the band eventually split. I think they were always destined for a short shelf-live, but I think the flop of their second album and Kym leaving the band cut it even shorter.

Sometimes when band members leave for one reason or another, the band are forced to change musical direction. It’s a risky move, but if done right it can expand the band’s life-span. When Iron Maiden picked Bruce Dickinson as their next singer, they went on to have massive success. Nightwish continue to do well even without Tarja. Depeche Mode transformed into their own thing when Vince Clarke left and nearly forty years on they’re still relevant.

Remix albums

If the only stuff that comes out of the blue once in a while are remix albums, the chances are the band themselves had nothing to do with them and it’s the record company trying to churn out some more money.

Long Waits

2-5 year break for each album is okay. But constant delays and focus on side-projects and doing anything but a new album shows signs that the energy and passion behind the group is gone. Fans lose their hype and and if soon turns into a decade and bands still troll you with that. It puts you off.

The original line-up of the Sugababes got back together and they did a tour. Everyone was looking forward to the new album which never came out. It was leaked and they had a legal battle to get their name back, which they won. They do the odd song together now and then. They say all will be revealed, but it’s all click-bait.

I think the Sugababes should just be honest and say they’ve sizzled out just like final line-up without original members did. They all try so hard to beat a dead horse, but they should just admit that’s over. They tried, their song, Flatline wasn’t the blockbuster hit they expected it to be and I felt that they gave up after that.

Cashing in on Nostalgia

Some bands do cash in on nostalgia. It’s going to take a lot more than a random hit in a previous decade to stay relevant. We Are The Fallen were a great band, but a lot of the members were former members of Evanescence and they hired Carly Smithson, who was a contestant from American Idol. I’m not surprised their album, Tear The World Down sounds a lot like Evanescence’s first album, Fallen. It’s a triumphant album in the rock scene. Ben Moody who wrote a lot of stuff on Fallen also wrote for Tear The World Down. So it’s no surprise the signature sound is there. It’s still a great album, but looking back on it now, it feels like an obvious cash-crab for Evanescence fans that miss the old sound of Evanescence.

Conclusion

So how do you cope after your favourite band has split up? It sounds silly to be upset over a band break-up, but I remember girls crying at school because Busted broke up. When I was a kid, a charity had a suicide hotline dedicated to Take That fans when they split up in 90’s. My landlord cried when David Bowie died. People take their favourite bands seriously to the point of cult worship.

For some kids, other than losing a pet, it’s one of he first real big losses in their lives. People get old or ill and are unable to perform as extensively as they used to. One way to keep the soul of the band alive is to keep playing their music. Support their active projects or follow them on social media.

The Beatles split up in 1969, and albums like Abbey Road and Sgt. Pepper Lonely Hearts Club Band are still played. Because a lot of the music is adored by fans and critics alike, it’s still preserved.

Plus it’s also a good oppurtunity to discover more bands that you like.