After years of speculation, John Squire has confirmed that The Stone Roses have split up once again.
Back in 2017, rumours began to circulate that the band’s show in Glasgow would be their last, before comments made by frontman Ian Brown during the gig seemed to confirm that they had indeed come to an end once again. “Don’t be sad it’s over, be happy that it happened,” he told the crowd.
Then, documents on the Government’s Companies House show that ‘Second Touring Limited’ (which was set up by the band in 2015) had its First Gazette notice for compulsory strike-off in October 2017. The company was struck off the register and dissolved on December 24, 2017.
In a new interview, The Guardian asked Squire if this was really the end of the band – to which he simply replied, “Yeah”.
Promoting his new art show, Squire said that he was keen to focus on his latest project as he tends to get “a couple of questions about the work, then they get down to the serious business of finding out what the scoop is on the band”.
Looking back on his time with the Roses, Squire added: “It was quite a brief period that gets a lot of attention still. I was surprised at the level of support we got when we got back on stage.”
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He also revealed that while he and Brown had a pact not to talk about their relationship or band politics, he had invited Mani to the opening of his new art show, Disinformation – which runs at the Newport Street Gallery in London until November 10.
The Stone Roses initially reformed in 2011, after their first split in 1996. In 2016, they release two singles with ‘All For One‘ and ‘Beautiful Thing‘. Ian Brown released his seventh solo album ‘Ripples‘ earlier in 2019.
Back in 2017, Roses’ biographer, journalist and musician John Robb revealed what he made of the supposed split.
“It’s not official 100% confirmed that they’ve stopped, but it looks like they have, doesn’t it?” Robb told NME. “The thing about those guys, is that nothing is ever certain with The Stone Roses. That’s one of the things that made them such an interesting band.
“I love Manic Street Preachers, but there’s a certainty to them. That’s not a criticism of them, just that you know they’ll all be in the Manics for the rest of their lives. The thing about The Roses, is that from day one that band could have combusted at any moment. Their brilliance is so fleeting and hard to grasp, that it disappears. They get it in their hands, then they just let it go again.”
He added: “When they did grab it, god it was amazing. Last year when they played Manchester, it was just magical. They’re just such a fantastic and powerful band.”
Speaking of fans’ hopes for new material, Robb said: “Between the four of them, there was a great third album in them. If they could have just made a record without caring about the pressure of expectation or commercial expectation. If they could have just jammed for 45 minutes, it would have been a great record.