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Artist News
Viva Brother split
By CMU Editorial | Published on Tuesday 3 April 2012
Viva Brother have split up. News that perhaps won’t surprise or upset many (or any) of you, though it is an interesting case study of hype destroying a band before they really had a chance to develop.
The band formed in 2010, having previously been through a number of other incarnations, and quickly signed to Geffen. They made the cover of the NME in January 2011 as a number of bands tipped for success that year. Dubbing their sound ‘gritpop’, they quickly became known for frontman Lee Newell’s oft overblown statements – most famously “Anyone who doesn’t want to see the future of rock n roll should leave now” at a poorly attended gig in North London.
Their popularity was way off their bravado though, and a year after gracing the cover of the NME, they found themselves nominated for Worst Band at the magazine’s awards (something they referenced when they announced their split).
In a brief statement issued on Sunday via Twitter (initially taken as an April Fools gag by some but later confirmed), the band bowed out, saying: “Thank you to everyone that has ever supported us or believed. It has been an unbelievable journey. This is us signing off. Goodbye. We’ll leave you with this last song. We recorded it a couple of months ago. And as for NME. Shame on you”.
That final song, should you wish to hear it, is here:
