Whether you're in the camp that relishes the chance to see a band you thought you'd never get a chance to actually see in the flesh, or if you're one of the cynical bunch who resent bands going back on their pledge to never play again, an unexpected band reunion is something well worth talking about.
We've seen plenty of them over the past few years, but these are the five we've been most shocked and excited about witnessing. We're not going to mention Led Zeppelin, The Replacements or Pink Floyd, because they were so fleeting, and if we missed your favourite band then don't take it personally, it's probably just because they suck.
Refused
"We will never play together again and we will never try to glorify or celebrate what was"
Hey, sometimes things change. Refused announced their reformation to play the Coachella Festival in 2012 (which was also to feature At The Drive-In), but quickly told fans around the world that they'd try and get to as many territories as they could in order to stop people paying exorbitant amounts of money to traverse the planet to see the band play.
They kept things short and sweet, making their way to Australia for a series of shows just before they announced that the reunion was over and that they wouldn't be continuing on as an active band. They were fucking great shows, too.
Sunnyboys
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Reports of Sunnyboys frontman Jeremy Oxley living in the Queensland town of Ipswich, just outside of Brisbane, were prominent after the release of the excellent This Is Real: Singles/Live/Rare release in 2004. It was at this stage that the public – or at least those who cared – became aware of the fact that he was struggling with quite profound schizophrenia and it was all but a certainty that we would never get to see this incredible Australia rock band ever again.
When the band Kids In Dust were announced to play the Hoodoo Gurus Dig It Up! invitational, those in the know were equally shocked and thrilled that Sunnyboys were actually going to be playing a show together again. That show went down brilliantly, but what was perhaps more encouraging was that every show that happened after that got better and better. They were sensational at the A Day On The Green series alongside Elvis Costello and then absolutely brilliant in their old stomping ground of the Gold Coast earlier this year.
Neutral Milk Hotel
Neutral Milk Hotel band leader Jeff Mangum famously disappeared off the face of the earth following the band's acclaimed In The Aeroplane Over The Sea LP back in the late 1990s. He was pissed off with the industry and the press and had himself a bit of a nervous breakdown; one thing was for sure, he wasn't getting the band back together in a hurry.
But then, it happened. Just like there was no reason given for their disappearance, there was nothing said about their re-emergence either, it just happened. But then things got even weirder and they revealed they would be making Australia one of the first places on their itinerary. Last night we saw them live. They were great.
Pixies
This band really hated each other. Frank Black broke the band up over fax message apparently, which is cold as hell, but they eventually decided to get back together thanks to some very generous financial incentive from festivals and touring companies. They have stuck with it for years, even though they are apparently not all that friendly, with Kim Deal eventually having enough of it again and leaving the band just a couple of months ago.
They managed to get over to Australia a number of times, though. First playing the V Festival, then playing their Doolittle album in full at some small arena shows, then headlining one of the nights of Splendour In The Grass. For a band we thought we'd never see, we've sure seen them a lot. Whether they continue to be a strong force with the excellent Kim Shattuck filling Deal's roll is something we'll have to wait and see.
Blur
We won't pretend to know what a band's financial situation is, but you'd imagine Blur are probably alright for cash. They've sold over 12 million records, after all and Damon Albarn surely isn't hard up for a buck, he has clocked up around 16 million sales with Gorillaz. No, it seems that Blur must have gotten back together a few years ago because they actually wanted to be a band again; interviews with the band have suggested that they are enjoying the fact they can talk to each other again.
The great news for us is that they have decided that Australia will get to see them live in action for the first time since the '90s at the Big Day Out in 2014. Apparently they're good, we can't wait to find out.
