Blaenavon announce breakup: “I want it to be a nice thing, not a sad thing”
Blaenavon have announced that they’re breaking up – read their full statement below.
The indie trio – vocalist and guitarist Ben Gregory, bassist Frank Wright and drummer Harris McMillan – formed in Hampshire in 2013 and released debut album ‘That’s Your Lot’ via Transgressive in 2017. A follow-up, ‘Everything That Makes You Happy’, arrived in 2019.
In a statement posted to social media, Gregory wrote: “This news has been coming for a long time but I want it to be a nice thing and not a sad thing.
“We three aren’t making music as (world famous rockband) ‘Blaenavon’ anymore. The band was the best thing ever and I will cherish the absurd memories, but we’ve all got cool new stuff to do.”
The frontman went on to reveal that Wright and McMillan are now playing folk-pop with the band Organ Morgan, while Gregory himself has finished his debut solo album.
“The music industry is a sickening stain on the underbelly of the arts,” he concluded, “and, with that said, I can’t wait to get back on the grind.”
message from ben x pic.twitter.com/oesh1TQjxw
— blaenavon (@Blaenavon) November 9, 2022
Reviewing Blaenavon’s second album, ‘Everything That Makes You Happy’, NME wrote: “The band’s debut album ‘That’s Your Lot’ covered every corner of the indie spectrum, taking cues from the likes of Bombay Bicycle Club and The Maccabees on a debut that marked them out as an indie band for a new generation.
“‘Everything That Makes You Happy’ takes these foundations and sees the band expanding their horizons, pushing the sounds to their extremes. ‘Catatonic Skinbag’ is the biggest straight-up single they’ve yet written, while slowly blooming ballad ‘Quiet In Your Heart, Alone In Love’ is the most moving they’ve penned yet, punctuated by a majestic string section.”
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Will Richards
NME
