When bands get along, you can live some of the best days of your life but when bands fall out, things can go very wrong very quickly. We’ve all witnessed the breakup of our favourite bands. The sombre press release, the cancellation of all future plans and the inevitable bitter Twitter feud that follows. Even if the band don’t break up fully, having one member leave can have catastrophic effects for those who remain. It can spell the end of recording contracts and mainstream success.
And it’s not just the risk of breaking up that makes being in a band difficult. Just because everything in a band is shared, it doesn’t mean its shared equally. Sometimes it’s a simple case of one member not pulling their weight, sometimes it’s the complicated issues surrounding the division of royalties and sometimes its all about the media. Most bands have a front person and whether they mean to or not, they command the attention of the press. While some people are okay with this, others struggle with not getting the same recognition for their role in the band. What started out as a band with all members on an equal footing may end up as one superstar surrounded by glorified backing singers.