October 25, 2007 9:53

Simply Red to split

Mick Hucknall and co to call it quits

Simply Red are set to split in 2009, it has been announced.

Lead singer Mick Hucknall has said that their current album ’Stay’ will be their last and that they will disband after their tour, due to end in two years time.

He said: “I’ve kind of decided that the 25 years is going to be enough.”

Hucknall revealed that he wants to concentrate on an album of his own.

He said: “I’ve just recorded an album that is a tribute to Bobby Bland, a blues and R&B artist. It’s a solo project and I’ve really enjoyed it - so much that I feel the time has come now to just put a book-end to the [Simply Red] story.”

The singer added that he planned to “invent a new form of music,” which was influenced by R&B tracks from the 1960s.

He told Gold radio network: “It’s a big challenge, but I can’t do it under the name of Simply Red.”