Band break-ups: tougher than heartbreak

Two musicians reminisce, rue and rant about their favourite bands that broke up and how the phenomenon has changed over the years

“The Beatles disbanding was life’s biggest tragedy!”

French electronic music duo Daft Punk formed in 1993 called it quits in February 2021

By Uday Benegal

According to Uday says bands break up due to the same reasons as relationships do: ego

The Beatles disbanding was the biggest tragedy but meant to be because so many geniuses couldn’t have gone on longer together. For me, it’s less about bands breaking up and more about a person leaving the band. Like when Deep Purple lost Ian Gillan, it broke my heart even though David Coverdale was a pretty cool vocalist. I was a devoted fan in my teens, so it shook my faith in the bands and I missed their music.

There are many bands who’ve broken up and come back. Like us! Earlier, we fought like school boys. The one mature decision we did take was that we decided to take a break when we were still friends in 1997.

What causes most bands to break-up? Ego problems, someone slept with someone else’s partner – exactly the same reasons why any relationship ends.

We understood early on that the only way a band could survive was to leave our ego at the door.

When Mahesh Tinaikar (guitars), Zubin Balaporia (keyboards) and I got back together 13 years later, it was seamless. We’re wiser, more tolerant and spent enough time apart to digest things about each other.

Circumstances play a big role in a band’s longevity. It’s become complicated to stay together due to financial reasons. But due to it, there’s a lot of cross-pollination happening with artistes playing in multiple ensembles.

Uday Benegal is a 53-year-old musician, and the vocalist of rock band Indus Creed that formed in 1985 which then regrouped in 2010

“It takes patience to keep a band together”

By Prabhtoj Singh

Prabhtoj says he wishes older bands hadn’t broken up as it would have been exciting to hear them in modern age

I was 17 when I was listening to The Police, Porcupine Tree (not broken up but on an indefinite hiatus since 2009) and Pink Floyd, given their vast discography. I wish these bands hadn’t broken up because it would have been really exciting to hear them in a modern age sound!

I feel when every member contributes to a band, it makes it unique because that sound is achievable only by those certain individuals who choose to express themselves collectively. This is what sets a band apart.

But imagine creating music in a particular style or sound for 20 years because the masses love it. No matter how great the songs are, an artist feels compelled to move on and explore.

It takes a lot of patience and effort to keep a band together. The level of commitment required is that of marriage. And if a marriage can break, it’s likely a band with five individuals can part ways.

Sharing a common idea or inspiration and drive to pursue their dreams keeps a band together, and contributing to each other’s musicality; Coldplay is a great example of that.

Today, it’s crucial to not just write and perform music but record/produce/mix it yourself as it makes you self-sufficient. In pop culture, there are lesser bands and more solo artists as the music industry sells the overall personality of an artist. Musicians can co-exist in different bands and sticking to just one band is probably an age-old concept.

Prabhtoj is a 27-year-old musician and singer-songwriter and music teacher from New Delhi, who’s a part of an a capella boy band PAN!C, The CopyCats and his own ensemble

From HT Brunch, April 25, 2021

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