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From Destiny’s Child to Talking Heads, here’s some bands we’re not ready to get over.

We are just four months into the New Year and already the 2016 concert lineup reads like a time traveler's wish list. An insane number of bands have announced their decision to reunite, producing new music and booking new dates while putting aside old feuds, statements of permanent partings and solo side projects. Long-separated bands like Guns N’ Roses, LCD Soundsystem, Ween and At The Drive In have all begun touring, while other groups like NWA and The Spice Girls have been hinting at a potential reunion. 

But are we satisfied? Quite the contrary—all of these reunions have left us thirsty for more! Here are 8 bands we wish would drop what they are doing and reunite for our own selfish listening pleasures.

 

The White Stripes

This once-married duo’s official parting in 2011 left a red and white striped hole in our hearts. Since then, Jack White has created his own independent music label, Third Man Records, formed The Raconteurs and The Dead Weather and released a whole lot of solo music. Meg White has simply disappeared. Neither of these paths bode well for a possible reunion. But nothing will ever compare to the songs these two musicians produced together. Stripped down, gritty and strange, albums like Elephant and White Blood Cells deliver track after track of greatness. The White Stripes’ seemingly simple style left no room for filler, and the intimate vibes between the weird pale then-couple (who intriguingly pretended to be brother and sister) lent their music an air of innocence. Jack has said he has no plans for reuniting the two-man band and no one has seen or heard from Meg in years, but we would still love to see these two Coffee and Cigarettes stars back together once more. 

 

Talking Heads

This punk/funk/alternative/rock band is an eternal cult favorite with tracks like “Psycho Killer,” “Burning Down the House” and “Once in a Lifetime.” Talking Heads were in operation between 1975 and1991 and came together once more for their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, but the chances of a real reunion seem quite slim. Lead singer and frontman David Byrne has been vocal about his disinterest in getting the band back together, even though fellow band members Tina Weymouth and Jerry Harrison have said they would be open to it. “I’m not keen and it’s unlikely to happen. I don’t need the money badly enough,” Byrne said in 2009. For now the musicians perform separately, with Byrne hopping on side projects with other artists and recently remixing and releasing “How Does The Brain Wave” in support of ailing funk musician Bernie Worrell. 

 

Destiny’s Child

The chances of Beyonce asking her former squad for anything other than some backup vocals is pretty much zero. But that doesn’t stop us from wistfully wishing these three ladies would come back together every time someone sings “Bills, Bills, Bills” at karaoke. Formed in 1990, Destiny’s Child went through some lineup changes and internal drama before landing on Beyonce, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. The trio rocked matching costumes and a stage style that echoed that of The Supremes releasing hits like “Survivor,” “Jumpin, Jumpin,” “Bug a Boo” and “Say My Name.” Of course their 2006 breakup has led to successful solo careers (some more than others), but that doesn’t mean we wouldn’t be thrilled to see them back in coordinated leather dresses or gold sparkle jumpsuits.

  

The Rapture

“People don’t dance no more, they just stand there like this, they cross their arms and stare you down, they drink and moan and diss.” Truer words were never spoken, and we need The Rapture to help us put down the smartphones and lead us back into the right way to behave at concerts! Led by Luke Jenner, this DFA band brought a level of excitement and energy to every song they sang and performance they played. Combining rock, disco and pop with electronic beats, The Rapture hooked audiences with songs like “Out of the Races and Onto the Tracks,” “How Deep is Your Love?” and “Whoo Alright Yeah Uh Huh.” The band released four albums, but disassembled quietly and unofficially, leaving fans feeling like there could have been and still may be so much more.

  

Led Zeppelin

The band—who broke up in 1980 following the death of John Bonham—came back together in 2007 for a big sold-out show at London’s O2 Arena, leading many to believe a tour would be planned but alas, no such luck. And yes, a tour now has the potential of being one big sad mistake, but we would still be willing to take that chance to hear some “Immigrant Song,” “Kashmir” and “When The Levee Breaks” live. Led Zeppelin has a sound, creativity and range like no other and to see them flex that all these years later would be something we couldn’t possibly miss. 

 

Yeah Yeah Yeahs


Oh Karen O, we miss you so! No one can match this singer’s stage presence, her energy, her rocker scream and lullaby soft vocals. And sure O has gone on to provide some killer tracks for movies and work with artists like Santigold and The Flaming Lips, but it just isn’t the same without Brian Chase and Nick Zinner. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs have not released anything since 2013’s Mosquito, but we can hold out hope. Tracks like “Zero” and “Heads Will Roll” have the perfect combination of electronic pop and rock, and there is nothing like hearing those first few electric guitar and drum riffs from 2003’s “Maps” to throw you back into a long forgotten moment. The band was everywhere before they were nowhere, and we hope to see them get back into circulation once more, if only to witness a sweaty and caped O scream into a microphone and then deep throat it.

 

Pink Floyd

Guitarist Syd Barrett died in 2006 and keyboardist Richard Wright passed away in 2008, so the full band reunion we would love is already out of reach. Still, fans of the rockers would likely destroy a school house or two to see the remaining members come together on stage. Pink Floyd cemented their place in progressive and psychedelic rock history with concept albums like Dark Side of The Moon and The Wall, making music together from 1965 to 1995 with multiple members dropping out along the way. And although the band reunited in 2005 for Live 8, Roger Waters has made it pretty clear that he is not interested in getting the gang back together. “A reunion is out of the question,” he told The Times in 2015. But people change their minds, right?

 

The Mars Volta

The reunion of At The Drive In just hammers home how much we miss this band. Featuring a frequently changing lineup and a history riddled with turmoil and tragic deaths, The Mars Volta released six albums over the course of their career, gathering an eclectic and passionate following made up by those who love metal or indie rock or anything strange. The group’s often disjointed songs filled with sudden stops and changes somehow managed to flow together brilliantly, allowing concept albums like De-Loused in the Comatorium to be played over and over in one full, dramatic swoop. For now we will rejoice in their semi-reunion with At The Drive In and hold out hope that their performances give a hat tip to some Volta hits.

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  1. gutter.glitter
    Jaimie Rain For myself - Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Smiths, Stabbing Westward, Switchblade Symphony, Curve to name a few

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