Those of you with NME magazine subscriptions have always been the first to know anything that goes on in the music industry from reading both NME magazine and the magazine’s website, so when R.E.M. announced yesterday that they were splitting you would have all found out straight away.
After performing together for 31 years and having hugely successful hits such as Losing My Religion, Everybody Hurts and The One I Love, the band have decided that it’s time to call a day.
R.E.M. released a statement on their website yesterday saying: “As R.E.M., and as lifelong friends and co-conspirators, we have decided to call it a day as a band. We walk away with a great sense of gratitude, of finality, and of astonishment at all we have accomplished. To anyone who ever felt touched by our music, our deepest thanks for listening. R.E.M.”
Fellow musicians such as The Futureheads and The Strokes expressed their sadness at the news by tweeting “RIP REM”.
Radio 1 DJ Zane Lowe also stood up for the band after some had criticised them by saying “Despite some pretty pithy comments on here re REM breaking up, I am personally really grateful to the band for all the great records & shows… They have been an integral part of the modern story of rock n roll. They made learning fun… REM never dumbed down. Look at the bands they influenced...The Smiths, Radiohead, Nirvana and so on. And they end with dignity. Most won't.”
Whatever your views on the band’s departure, you can be sure to always get the lowdown on music both new and old with an NME magazine subscription.
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Posted by Alice Buller.