The Rakes Split & Cancel UK and US Tours

The Rakes were one of several bands which started gaining traction in the British music scene around 2005. Their contemporaries include Bloc Party, The Futureheads, and Maximo Park, three of my favorite British bands. Unfortunately, The Rakes are the first of that group to split.

The band announced the split today and the cancellation UK and US tours in the process. The UK leg was due to start in Leeds on Oct. 26, but all ticket holders will now be issued with full refunds.

The Rakes issued a statement to NME regarding the split, saying:

“The Rakes have always been very adamant and proud of the fact that we give 100 per cent to every gig we’ve ever played. If we can’t give it everything then we won’t do it. That was the rule we set ourselves from day one. After much deliberation we have come to the shared conclusion that we can’t give it 100 per cent any more and regret to announce that The Rakes are calling it a day.”

“Writing your own obituary is a surreal thing to do. But we want to give particular thanks to our much-loved fans, all the great people we’ve worked with over the years, our management and loyal record label. We feel privileged to have had the opportunity to write music together and perform around the world. Genuinely, thanks for the good times… that was one hell of a party! But now, we really must get some sleep.”

The reason for the split seems to be purely because their hearts were no longer in it, though why that was so isn’t clear. Maybe it was just a case of never quite managing to break through to the mainstream in the way those other bands mentioned did.

The fact that my favorite song by The Rakes is 22 Grand Job from their first album, Capture/Release, released way back in 2005 (video embedded below) says it all.

It’s a shame though as The Rakes had a very loyal fan base who will surely be gutted to hear the band has ended suddenly and inexplicably.

[Photo Source: Amazon.co.uk]