RIP Electrelane.
We have decided that the upcoming gigs will be our last for the foreseeable future. After ten years of much fun and hard work, we have realised that we all need a break and time to do other things. This was a tough decision for us to make, but ultimately a positive one.
A big thank you to everyone who has come to our shows, put on our shows, and bought our records over the years. It means a lot to us. We're really grateful to have had the opportunity to play gigs all over the world and to meet so many lovely people. This last year has been especially enjoyable and we feel happy about moving on with all these good memories to look back on. At the moment we haven't made any band plans for the future but we're going to have a break and see what happens.
Love, Electrelane
Well that fucking sucks.
I feel kind of short-changed by this actually, even though I only ‘discovered’ Electrelane about a year ago during my anti-compression quest when I came across reference to their two Albini-recorded albums (The Power Out and Axes) having immaculate sound quality. They do.
The reason I feel short-changed is that I didn’t get to see them live, which in itself isn’t that much of a pisser because there are lots of bands I like that I’ve never seen live, only I was guestlisted to see Electrelane play the Thekla (an excellent and unusual venue; a boat moored on Bristol waterfront that normally functions as a nightclub) earlier this year, with the possibility of briefly interviewing them for Stylus. Only then they cancelled the gig for reasons I am unaware of. I assumed they’d play Bristol again later in the year, but no; a support slot with Arcade Fire commandeered their touring quota for the remainder of 2007, and now no more.
There is at least the fact that the band refer to this as an “indefinite hiatus” rather than a split, and there’s no pernicious ‘musical differences’ or the like behind it; rather like Todd’s decision to close Stylus, it just seems to be the right time to try something else for a while.
Nevertheless it’s always a disappointment when people who have made fantastic music together decide to stop making that music; I am still utterly besotted with their current record, and hold massive affection for all their others too.
2007 has been a funny year for music; in terms of wonderful records released I feel like it’s been the best of the last five years, the five years I have been most involved with and aware of what was going on in music. In terms of the business of music, the culture of consumption, the endings and pauses and disappointments, Electrelane’s cessation is another hammer blow to my heart.
NJS
1 Comments:
Hi Nick,
Didn't know Stylus is to shut. Keep on writing and take care.
Keith W.
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