Even the best of bands suffer the worst of feuds… Find out which of your favorite rockers actually couldn’t stand each other…
The Beatles
Paul McCartney and John Lennon, no matter how sappy the pair may have seemed, were actually caught in a years-long feud. Neither could agree on the direction they wanted the band to take, and eventually pride got in the way and eventually led to the band’s demise.
The Grateful Dead
Everyone’s favorite (and longest lasting) jam band, The Grateful dead have seen every kind of breakup and reconciliation. But not even death of key members like Jerry Garcia can stop Bob Weir from truckin’ on.
Backstreet Boys
If you’re a 90’s kid, then you had a crush on one (or all) of the Backstreet Boys. And your heart was broken by their split in 2005. Thankfully, their reunion in 2012 made all that pain go away.
The Spice Girls
Female empowerment is what The Spice Girls were all about. When Ginger Spice split in 1998 to pursue a solo career, you’d have thought the teen girl world was ending. However, the girls reunited for a performance at the 2012 Olympics, and they are set to perform a few UK shows, minus Victoria Beckham.
Blink-182
We can thank Blink’s many breakups to the weird behavior of Tom DeLonge. After taking breaks in 2005 and 2009 and 2015, the band came back together in 2016 without Tom for a comeback.
Oasis
Liam and Noel Gallagher, the OG band of brothers who were constantly at each other’s necks. These guys did not get along. The constant butting of heads and stealing credit for work that belonged to the other brother led to the end of UK powerhouse Oasis.
The Police
Though I’m sad I’ll never hear “Don’t Stand So Close To Me” live, Sting is ridiculously successful as a solo artist and he deserves that. Go Sting.
The Rolling Stones
Mick Jagger and Keith Richards (surprise surprise) hated each other. Despite the drama, they’ve somehow stayed together for 50 years. I guess some things are stronger than anger (like money).
The Postal Service
I have a feeling Death Cab For Cutie took precedence over this side project of Ben Gibbard’s, even though The Postal Service lasted a decade. Either way, fans still have incredible music from both groups.
Velvet Underground
Velvet Underground split in 1973, and founding member Lou Reed hadn’t played with the band since 1970. The surviving original lineup reunited in 1992, but it was short-lived.
Outkast
Everyone knows “Hey Ya,” but nobody knows anything else. Andre 3000 and Big Boi produced a killer soundtrack for “Idlewild” in 2006, and then split. Their most recent resurgence came at 2014’s Coachella, but they haven’t made music together since.
The Black Crowes
Though they took a decade-long break, they waited to announce their official split until this year. “The Black Crowes don’t write songs anymore. They don’t think of the present or the future,” said frontman Chris Robinson, suggesting a certain animosity behind the break-up.
Sonic Youth
It’s never easy working with your spouse. After 27 years of making music together, Sonic Youth called it quits in 2011 around the same time bandmates Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon’s marriage began to crumble. Lesson: learned.
Rilo Kiley
Don’t you just love a messy breakup? Yeah, Rilo Kiley doesn’t either, and apparently, theirs was bad. Guitarist Blake Sennett cites their downfall to “deception, disloyalty, and greed.”
No Doubt
Angsty girl rocker Gwen Stefani has been a staple in the post-punk scene since 1996, graduating into the ranks of pop punk in the 2000’s. We have her to thank for No Doubt’s split though. But starting a solo career isn’t so b-a-n-a-n-a-s, is it?
Sleater-Kinney
90’s rock icons Sleater-Kinney parted ways in 2005 due to personal life changes, like motherhood and new career paths. They reunited in 2015 and put out “No Cities To Love.”
Destiny’s Child
Following their breakup in 2005, Beyonce went on to have a wildly successful solo career, while the other members of Destiny’s Child, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams, didn’t.
The Rakes
The Rakes called it quits in 2009 after they realized their hearts weren’t 100% in the band anymore. The breakup was timed very inconveniently, and they had to cancel a US and UK tour as a result.
At The Drive-In
Post-hardcore kids wept into their hoodies when El Paso’s ‘At The Drive-In’ announced plans to break up in 2001. They reunited in 2012 for a run of festivals in the US and in the UK, but have no plans to reunite again.
Mars Volta
These pals have been in three, count them, THREE, bands together. Sadly, Mars Volta met the same fate as their first project, At The Drive-In, and didn’t last. Now, the duo outfits a new band, Antemasque, and they’ll play shows together later this year. Constant rebranding is okay with me!
The White Stripes
What a strange duo the White Stripes were – the “siblings” who turned out to actually be husband and wife parted ways in 2011, somewhat due to Meg’s anxiety about performing live, but mostly due to the fact that they were splitting up romantically.
Mayhem
The end of Mayhem is actually terrifying. Member Varg Virkernes was convinced that the band was out to get him, sure that he was going to be murdered. Instead of sitting around, he got proactive and murdered other member Euronymous first.
The Kinks
Ray and Dave Davies could never put their differences aside for the sake of the band. Both brothers had mental illnesses and Dave’s drug use coupled with three decades of touring pushed him to quit the band.
The Smashing Pumpkins
The feud between Billy Corgan and the rest of the band is no secret. After several pitfalls with drug use on both ends, Corgan eventually fired the whole band and worked as a solo artist.
The Who
The death of Keith Moon in 1978 was the beginning of the end of The Who. They stopped touring in 1982, and it wasn’t until 2006 that the surviving members began making music together again.
Catatonia
Cerys Matthews led this Welsh group to success, until eventually leaving due to her battle with anxiety.
REM
After more than 30 years in the game, REM split in 2011. Michael Stipe said he wouldn’t pursue a solo career, but he did play a surprise opening set for Patti Smith at the end of 2014.
Simon & Garfunkel
Anther classic story of one person receiving all the credit, and the other person receiving none. There’s a reason why you never hear about Garfunkel’s solo career – because it wasn’t successful. Paul Simon was arguably the brains fo the whole operation, even though they were a duo.
Larrikin Love
Larrikin Love quit the scene in 2007. Guitar player Micko went on to play with Courtney Love.
Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac was doomed following the release of “Rumours.” That album, no matter how many love songs are on it, is actually about how much all the band members disliked each other. “Go Your Own Way” specifically is about Buckingham and Nicks’s messy breakup.
The Rascals
Miles Kane’s first band The Rascals parted ways in 2009, leaving Alex Turner’s bezzie mate to set out on his solo career.
Kings of Leon
There’s nothing riskier than forming a band with your brother. Even the Jonas Brothers needed a break! Kings of Leon cite irreconcilable differences to their splits, but they’ve gotten back together in recent years.
Fall Out Boy
After a whirlwind of success with their single “Sugar We’re Going Down,” Fall Out Boy announced a hiatus in 2009, but thankfully it didn’t last long. They crank out albums at least once a year, and fans eat them up.
Pendulum
Pendulum eventually outgrew itself, and it’s never a good way to go. The band said they felt like they were simply going through the motions, and not making music because they wanted to anymore.
The Long Blondes
One of the most stylish and downright saucy groups of the 2000s, the Long Blondes had to call it quits after songwriter and guitarist Dorian Cox suffered a stroke in 2008.
Test Icles
Dev Hynes is actually a new-wave veteran, and when Test Icles ended, he formed two new groups, Lightspeed Champion and Blood Orange, collaborating with musicians like Sky Ferreira and Solange. Not a total loss!
LCD Soundsystem
If you weren’t able to attend LCD Soundsystem’s last show at MSG in 2011, you can watch a DVD version of the show any time you want. LCD forever!
Beady Eye
Liam Gallagher’s attempted side project post-Oasis only gained any precedence because it was his band. In 2014, Liam announced the band’s split over Twitter, and it didn’t really come as a shock to anyone.
The Distillers
Brody Dalle’s Aussie punks split acrimoniously in 2007. “I felt like in The Distillers it just creatively came to an end, nobody was feeling it anymore,” she later said.
The Cooper Temple Clause
Thankfully, Cooper Temple Clause ended things on good terms in 2006, explaining they’re still good friends, but continuing the band isn’t in the cards. After missing two concerts in a row, they owed fans an explanation.
The Verve
After two heartbreaking splits in the 1990’s followed by a brief reunion in 2007-2008 for Glastonbury headlining slots, frontman Richard Ashcroft decided to twist the knife and tell fans the band was over for good in 2010.
The Ramones
The Ramone brothers hated each other. There’s no other way to describe it. Oil and water don’t mix, and these guys were like Petroleum and Fiji.
Dinosaur Jr.
The bitter fall-out between Dinosaur Jr. head honcho, J Mascis, and the band’s original bassist Lou Barlow has virtually become rock folklore. Just as the Amherst, Massachusetts group were making some kind of commercial breakthrough and had finished touring their well-received third LP, Bug, long-haired guitar wizard Mascis essentially kicked Barlow out of Dinosaur Jr. by, rather incredibly, lying to the bass player that the band had split up.
Le Tigre
Frontwoman Kathleen Hanna’s feminist electro-pop group unfortunately had to part ways due to Hanna’s struggle and treatment with Lyme Disease.
The Everly Brothers
Originally marketed as a family-friendly band, the Everly Brothers naturally wanted to rebel from the wholesome stereotype, and eventually experimented with drugs, which ultimately drove them apart.
Giant Drags
The hugely underrated Giant Drags’ Annie Hardy and Micah Calabrese split up in 2006. However, Annie has carried on making music under the Giant Drag name with an album in 2013.
Be Your Own Pet
Since the punk group’s split in 2008, frontwoman Jemina Pearl has released a solo album, while John Eatherly now heads up New York’s Public Access TV.
The Blackout
Welsh post-hardcore group The Blackout decided to end things mutually when they realized that keeping up the band was taking a toll on their mental health and personal lives. Hey, a healthy breakup is still a good thing, even though it’s sad.
Uncle Tupelo
The relationship between the main creative influences in groundbreaking alt-country band Uncle Tupelo had turned sour by the time of the group’s swan song, 1993’s Anodyne. Guitarist Jay Farrar and bassist Jeff Tweedy were the sources of the tension. In fact, the animosity got so bad that Farrar eventually refused to sing tunes written by Tweedy.
The Beach Boys
Cousins Brian Wilson and Mike Love have always been at odds. You’re probably thinking, how could “God Only Knows” come from a place of anger? Well. Even though The Beach Boys were predominately Wilson’s band, there was a never-ending power struggle on Love’s end. Yikes.
Crystal Castles
In 2014, Crystal Castles parted ways and fans were left with this message: “I am leaving Crystal Castles. My art and my self-expression in any form have always been an attempt towards sincerity, honesty, and empathy for others. For a multitude of reasons both professional and personal I no longer feel that this is possible within CC.”
The Music
Punk outfit The Music lasted a decade before calling it quits. We get it, you can only reasonably be in a punk band for so long. They did get three great LPs out of it, though.
Take That
Following an intense surge of fame in the 90’s, the band took a sudden hiatus in 1995 when the lead singer predictably tried to pursue a solo career.
The Libertines
The end of The Libertines boils down to drug use and bad behavior. The band could not go on due to Pete Doherty’s struggle with addiction, though through several hiccups, the band got back together as a duo for a short time.
Guns N’ Roses
Gun N’ Roses frontmen Slash and Axl Rose have been at each other’s throats for years, usually surrounding the issue of leadership within the band. Axl wanted total control, and Slash didn’t want to give it to him. The two are still at odds to this day.
Roxy Music
The two Brian’s of the group – Bryan Ferry and Brian Eno – have radically different styles. Eno wanted to incorporate more avant-garde influences in the band’s music, while Ferry wanted to keep things simple. The feud became too much for Eno, who eventually quit.
Hüsker Dü
The dark side of the band’s breakup: their manager committed suicide, and the band worried it was because of the stress of dealing with their professional careers and ultimately called it quits.
Pixies
There’s been tension between frontman Black Francis and bassist Kim Deal for years. Francis wouldn’t let her put her own creative take on the band’s sound, so she split and formed her own band, The Breeders. And they? Are great.
My Chemical Romance
No, the end of MCR was not the black marching band uniforms that had definitely overstayed their welcome. It seemed to boil down to creative differences, with frontman Gerard Way explained that it wasn’t an easy decision for anyone to make.