Spoon bassist Rob Pope announces his departure from the band

After more than 12 years with the acclaimed indie-rockers, Rob Pope has revealed he will be leaving Spoon.

Following the break-up of The Get Up Kids back in 2005, founding bass player Rob Pope was in need of a full-time band. Having performed alongside the likes of Reggie And The Full Effect, Koufax, and White Whale, it was 2006 that acclaimed indie-icons Spoon also found themselves in need of a new member.

Joining the band in 2006, Pope found himself within Spoon just in time to help record their highly-acclaimed sixth album, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga.

However, after three further albums (and an upcoming compilation album), Rob Pope has today revealed he is leaving the band to focus on other projects.

View this post on Instagram
A message from Rob Pope: . As Spoon’s bass player since 2006, I’ve never taken for granted the thrills and challenges that have come with being in this band. Now, after some serious thought, the timing feels right for me to leave Spoon in order to spend more time with family and personal projects. . I have nothing but love for ‪Britt Daniel‬, Jim Eno, Eric Harvey, Alex Fischel, and Gerardo Larios — the gentlemen dudes I was lucky to share the stage, bus, and studio with. . I’d also like to shout out the countless people who worked to make my life easier as our road crew and management, many of whom became my lifelong friends. The show can’t happen without them. . I’ll continue to work on new music, including touring and recording with ‪The Get Up Kids‬, but I’ll always be particularly proud of the amazing things Spoon accomplished over nearly 13 years of my involvement (and sometimes in spite of it). . Before I sign off, I have to thank all of you — the fans. It’s been an absolute honor to share this experience with you. If you are lucky enough to see Spoon on the road this summer, buy ‘em a few ice cream sandwiches for me. . For evah yours, Rob Pope (AKA Robert Pop, AKA Sherpa, AKA The Queen of Sheba, AKA The Last Living Member of the Supremes, AKA The Horizontal Striped Hustler)
A post shared by SPOON (@spoontheband) on Jul 9, 2019 at 5:35pm PDT

“As Spoon’s bass player since 2006, I’ve never taken for granted the thrills and challenges that have come with being in this band,” Pope wrote on Instagram. “Now, after some serious thought, the timing feels right for me to leave Spoon in order to spend more time with family and personal projects.

“I have nothing but love for ‪Britt Daniel‬, Jim Eno, Eric Harvey, Alex Fischel, and Gerardo Larios — the gentlemen dudes I was lucky to share the stage, bus, and studio with.

“I’d also like to shout out the countless people who worked to make my life easier as our road crew and management, many of whom became my lifelong friends. The show can’t happen without them.

“I’ll continue to work on new music, including touring and recording with ‪The Get Up Kids‬, but I’ll always be particularly proud of the amazing things Spoon accomplished over nearly 13 years of my involvement (and sometimes in spite of it).”

While it’s been a couple of years since Spoon were on our shores, Rop Pope will be getting his passport stamped in Australia this October, when he accompanies The Get Up Kids on their tour of the country.

Check out all the details below, and keep an eye out for Spoon’s forthcoming greatest hits package, Everything Hits At Once, later this month.