Frankie Goes To Hollywood reunion shows the power of nostalgia

It’s just the latest in a string of comebacks by bands of yesteryear - a cynic might even suggest the rising cost of living has forced bands out on the road to keep themselves in ivory backscratchers. Blur and Pulp are back together for a series of massive summer shows, Tom DeLonge has re-joined Blink-182, and Tom Morello and co will once again be Raging Against The Machine at arenas across the world. It’s perhaps no coincidence that Noel Gallagher, after a divorce, softened his stance on an Oasis reunion from “not for all the starving children in Africa” to “never say never”.

Read More: The Glasgow music prodigy beating gender divide in classical conducting

There are many reasons a band might choose to reunite – often several million of them. The Stone Roses released their classic self-titled debut album in 1989, before being caught up in a whirlwind of lawsuits and record label wrangling. Their follow-up album, 1995’s Second Coming, was not well received and intra-band tensions soon drove the group into the ground.

By the time they reached their final show at Reading Festival in 1996 guitarist John Squire and drummer Alan ‘Reni’ Wren had left. Their disastrous headline set, featuring a woefully off-key performance from singer Ian Brown, put the final nail in the coffin. As Damon Albarn of Blur quipped, “it ain’t over ‘til the flat laddie sings”.

Brown and Squire weren’t on speaking terms for the next decade and more, with the latter even producing a piece of art called ‘Statement’, four pieces of wrought metal bearing the words: “I have no desire whatsoever to desecrate the grave of seminal Manchester pop group The Stone Roses”. However, the pair reconciled at the funeral of bassist Mani’s mother and did indeed reunite in 2011.

Due to the aforementioned legal issues, the band never made much money on the first go round so it’s hard to grudge them their victory lap. At the press conference to announce their comeback Brown declared they would “ride it until the wheels fell off”, which they duly did in 2017 when the Stone Roses disbanded for a second and, presumably, final time.

Read More: Alternative coronation playlist from Sex Pistols to Slowthai

They at least lasted longer than Pink Floyd. After more than 20 years of animosity, David Gilmour and Roger Waters reunited for 2005’s Live 8 concert after which, despite being offered more than £100m to tour, they went right back to hating each other.

The reasons for reuniting then, are clear – but is it a good idea? The Stone Roses reunion produced two new songs, neither of which anyone had much time for, and even the most die-hard Libertines fan would struggle to argue Anthems For Doomed Youth was anything other than a waste of everyone’s time. Australian band INXS continued to release music despite the minor inconvenience of their singer being dead. The work was increasingly poorly received and they eventually called it a day in 2012 when Tim Farriss severed a finger in a boating accident and could no longer play guitar, with comedian Jim Jefferies surmising “it turns out your finger was more important than Michael Hutchence”.

In the modern day, bands don’t even have to concern themselves with being too old and decrepit for a reunion. ABBA have somehow managed to convince people to pay up to £70 to watch digital versions of their younger selves perform their biggest hits, as well as releasing their first album since 1981. It was rubbish, obviously.

It’s difficult to think of a single example of a band reuniting and actually adding to their legacy – the best you can hope for is for it not to be outright trashed. There are exceptions – A Tribe Called Quest’s 2016 reunion album was lauded as one of the best of the year – but they’re few and far between. For every We Got It from Here... Thank You 4 Your Service there are 10 The Cosmos Rocks.

Frankie Goes To Hollywood probably had the right idea leaving it at one song.