Former Stone Roses guitarist John Squire has hit out at the latest rumours of the band reuniting, saying that he reckons the idea of bands reforming for an easy payday is “tragic.” Speaking to a magazine, Squire speculated that the only reason the rumours keep circulating are because their fanbase can these days afford to pay for high priced gig tickets.
He also hit out that the recent wave of band reunions, saying: “When it’s just a get-together for a big payday and everyone gets their old clothes out, that seems tragic to me.” In terms of his old band reforming, Squire says “I don’t see these rumours as special or flattering. It’s a symptom of the times. People who can afford to waste money on gigs now are of a certain age and The Stone Roses fit their brief.”
He also rubbished the eye watering figures being bandied around by promoters for a Stone Roses reunion, saying that if they exist, he certainly hasn’t heard about them: “It’s never got that far. I hear rumours, but no-one ever phones me and says ‘Will you do it for this amount?”
Squire left the band in 1995 after their Second Coming album and tour. The band struggled on for a few gigs the next year, before imploding after a poorly received headline slot at the Reading Festival. Front man Ian Brown said at the time of the band’s dissolution “Having spent 10 years in the filthiest business in the universe it’s a pleasure to announce the end of The Stone Roses.
