The Bands We'd Love to See Reunite

Published on 14 August 2020

Your favourite band splitting up is something you'll remember forever. As silly as it may sound, these are important moments as a fan and while some groups, through tragedy or just sheer misfortune will never grace a stage again, there are plenty that you always hold out hope for. Well, we do anyway... We're kinda nerdy like that! The reunions, as we've seen throughout history can either be epic or abysmal but that doesn't mean the fans don't want to take that risk. Over the years we've seen Rage Against the Machine rise from the ashes to fight the power, the Stone Roses pulling on the old bucket hats for short runs of gigs and the Rolling Stones millionth final tour... But that doesn't mean there aren't others on our wish list. Check out a few we're dying to see below:

Oasis

Ah, the Gallaghers... What can we tell you about these guys that you don't already know? Rising to nothing short of superstardom, the brothers and their ever-changing band blazed a trail across the UK that has never really been matched since. Their anthemic, shoegaze and alt rock influenced tracks became the soundtrack to a generation but as we're sure you know, that didn't mean the lads always got on! In the documentary Supersonic (a great watch which follows them as a young band right through to the peak of their fame), their mother Peggy Gallagher described Noel as having a lot of buttons and Liam as someone who knew how to push every single one of them. With a competitive, antagonising relationship that began when they were children, Liam and Noel don't exactly seem to be on speaking terms, however, in recent years Liam has been pushing for a reunion, in between slagging his brother on Twitter that is. Will Noel ever cave? Surely the sheer amount of money involved has to tempt him sooner or later... Either way, we'd love to see them smashing it out one more time to an army of rowdy fans. Do yer know what I mean?

Blink 182

Yes, we know, they're still at it... Kind of. While the iconic pop-punkers are not only touring but even releasing music, there's been a big change in the lineup with the absence of co-lead singer/songwriter Tom Delonge. Although he was replaced amicably by the very well suited Matt Skiba of Alkaline Trio, fans have clamoured to see the Mark, Tom and Travis show back in action since they went their separate ways. Now a reunion here could be very much on the cards with what seems to be a good relationship between the band after a few salty years when Tom initially left mid-tour. The trio have reunited and even recorded since but Tom's To the Stars project investigating UFO's and alien life became his top priority, leading him to step down from the band for good - no, seriously. Whether Tom will have his Will Smith in Independence Day moment remains to be seen but one thing is for sure, we want more throwback skate punk from the guys who do it best. 

The Smiths

There aren't many bands who can maintain the cult following the Smiths have earned over the years. Let's be honest though, reforming would probably just be a bit too normal for Morrissey, wouldn't it? Following arguments over the band's direction and alleged bitterness over working with other musicians, Johnny Marr famously took a break from the group in 1987, a move which didn't go down well with other members of the four-piece. From there, relationships continued to fracture and breakdown. Apparently, Mozza was a bit overly keen in pushing to cover old pop artists, leading to the simply brilliant quote from Marr - "That was the last straw, really. I didn't form a group to perform Cilla Black songs". Whether Cilla Black broke up the Smiths or not, the band have never gotten back together. Now, some may consider this a blessing as it's kept their catalogue as brilliant and untainted as possible but we, among legions of fans would love to see them have one last hurrah. Unfortunately, this is probably among the most unlikely on our list with Marr not hopeful it'll ever happen. It seems any discussions to do so quickly fell apart which is heartbreaking for fans but you never know what's around the corner, or more importantly what's going on in Mozzas brain. We can only hope!

REM

Much like the Smiths, REM left a pretty stellar catalogue intact when they split up. Unlike the Smiths, they broke up in good spirits! Hailing from Athens, Georgia, the band's laid back, often haunting sound is absolutely one of a kind and earned them huge commercial success over their 30 odd years together. Although their original drummer Bill Berry left due to health reasons in the mid-eighties, R.E.M. stood as a united front afterwards until 2011. However, after so much time recording and touring, there was no bitter feuds or falling out, they simply felt they'd ran their course. Their announcement came via the group's website, with Michael Stipe stating that 'All things must end, and we wanted to do it right, to do it our way'. R.E.M. have such a unique sound that there really hasn't been anything to fill that void and we've no doubt that a reunion tour would sell out in seconds. Unfortunately, it doesn't look all that hopeful with both Stipe and guitarist Peter Buck both confirming they have no intentions of getting back in the studio. These guys are such a creative force that we'd truly love to see them live one more time... Anything can happen, right?

Pink Floyd

Here it is, the big one. Now while all of Floyd may not still be in the picture, iconic vocalist/bass and guitar duo David Gilmour and Roger Waters are very much active, writing music and touring. Just not together... Floyd had a pretty massive falling out in the mid-eighties with Waters attempting to dissolve the band and stop the remaining members from using the name. While this was unsuccessful and they have gone on to reunite on a few occasions over the years following, most notably during Live 8 with all four members, chances of them doing it again seem pretty slim. Gilmour has confirmed numerous times that he wants to concentrate on solo projects and isn't planning on any more reunions, even reportedly knocking back an offer of £136 million for their final tour. To be honest, pretty much everyone to interview the pair in the last 20 years have asked them and they don't seem to be budging, but who knows what the future brings? Floyd love to do the unexpected, so you never know what they might surprise us with. We're still clinging on to a shred of hope anyway...

Final Thoughts

While it's always heartbreaking to see your favourite bands go their seperate ways, it does make you appreciate their albums and the experiences you have of seeing them live so much more. Music is such a special thing that it can't be bottled or captured forever and if this list should show you anything, it's that you should appreciate the acts you love who are still out there grinding out shows and records. There aren't many who can stand the test of time and more power to the ones that are! Plus, you never know, musicians are funny people and it doesn't take much for a few band members to get talking... We're keeping our fingers crossed!