Chumbawamba have announced their split.
The punk band broke the news on their website Chumba.com.
The statement read: “That’s it then, it’s the end. with neither a whimper, a bang or a reunion. Thirty years of ideas and melodies, endless meetings and European tours, press releases, singalong choruses and Dada sound poetry, finally at an end.”
The band, who were best known for their 1997 single ‘Tubthumping’, have put the split down to the fact that the “rest of our lives got in the way and we couldn’t commit the time and enthusiasm that the band demanded”. The band released their final album, the cast recording of ‘Big Society!’ – which was also a musical starring Phill Jupitus – earlier this year. It followed their 14th studio album, ‘ABCDEFG’, which was released in 2010.
They added that they’ll be playing a few more times this year before they call it a day for good, saying: “So, sometime before the end of our thirtieth year – 2012 – we’ll play a few final times and then we’ll hang up our guitars, trumpets and football rattles.”
A disclaimer at the end of the statement reads: “We do, of course, reserve the right to re-emerge as Chumbawamba doing something else entirely (certainly not touring and putting out albums every 2 or 3 years). But frankly, that’s not very likely.”
Read the full statement here: www.chumba.com
Upon hearing news of the split via NME’s Twitter account, Former Deputy Leader of the Labour Party John Prescott tweeted: “Chumbawho? #currentlyresidinginthewherearetheynowfile”, a dig at the band, whose member Danbert Nobacon tipped a bucket of water over his head at the 1998 Brit Awards ceremony.