Six Band Reunions We'd Love To See In 2017

The trend of big bands and artists from yesteryear making a comeback and touring old albums showed no sign of slowing down in 2016. Even small-to-medium sized acts have opted to coin it in and perform classic albums to their devotees. Mortgages have to be paid somehow.

And yet, there are a surprising number of huge bands who have thusfar resisted the temptation to get back together. Here are six bands we’d love to announce a reunion in 2017.

The White Stripes performing in Leeds in 2007

Next year will mark the tenth anniversary of The White Stripes’ final studio album Icky Thump. Four years after its release, and after a lengthy hiatus from recording and performing that saw their active status effectively suspended, Jack ‘n’ Meg eventually announced in 2011 that the band was no more.

Few acts had as great an impact on the guitar music scene in the noughties as the Stripes, with their emergence in 2001 alongside fellow Americans The Strokes signalling a wider garage rock / new wave revival. A decade after the last music they released, shouldn’t 2017 mean a reunion? Although Jack White himself hasn’t released any new music in a while, this seems unlikely. He’s a stubborn man, after all.

Courtney Love performing with Hole in 2010

Courtney Love’s alternative rockers Hole, having split in 2002 ending their original incarnation, reunited in the relatively recent past, getting back together in 2010 and even releasing a new album, Nobody’s Daughter, that same year. They toured briefly but broke up once again in 2012.

Ever since, there’s been false media rumours of another reunion, with Love and various band members teasing their fans with the possibility in 2016. Bassist Melissa Auf der Maur, who left the group in 1999, has said she would like to play some of their old material to say goodbye to Hole once and for all. Watch this space, is all we can say.

Led Zeppelin come together for the 'Celebration Day' DVD release in 2012

Similarly, rock titans Led Zeppelin have reunited in recent memory, playing a now legendary one-off concert at London’s O2 Arena in 2007 in honour of music executive Ahmet Ertegun, captured in the live album Celebration Day for posterity.

Of course, 2017 will mark that momentous gig’s tenth anniversary: any possibility of another reunion? While Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones are all still alive, with the late John Bonham’s son Jason an accomplished drummer, this again isn’t too likely.

Richard Ashcroft performing with The Verve at Coachella 2008

The Verve are another act who both toured and released new material not that long ago. 2008 saw their fourth album, unimaginatively titled Forth and whose musical contents were similarly uninspired.

2017 will represent the twentieth anniversary of their legendary album Urban Hymns, which is still one of the twenty biggest-selling albums in British chart history. It would seem like a good time to organise some gigs, but this all depends on whether guitarist Nick McCabe wants to repair his volatile relationship with singer Richard Ashcroft. It could happen, but don’t hold your breath.

Oasis broke up in 2009

The Oasis documentary Supersonic, released back in October, had renewed hopes that the Gallagher brothers might resolve the feud that caused the group to split so acrimoniously back in 2009, and announce a reunion. Fat chance: Liam and Noel are still at each other’s throats on social media, and their relationship is described by many as non-existent.

Furthermore, Liam is set to release a solo album at some point in early 2017. The only way an Oasis reunion seems likely is if the money becomes too good to turn down. We reckon it’ll happen one day, but perhaps not next year.

The Kinks' Ray Davies playing in 2007

Speaking of warring siblings, Ray and Dave Davies of sixties legends The Kinks have on occasion made the Gallaghers seem like Coldplay by comparison. Though their career actually lasted 32 years, from 1964 right up until their final collapse in 1996, the pair’s relationship was frequently in a parlous state.

However, reports back in early November this year suggested that a reunion in time for Glastonbury festival 2017 was in the planning. Furthermore, Ray had briefly joined his younger brother on stage at a gig in Islington. While Dave has subsequently poured cold water on the speculation, Ray has expressed a desire to perform live once again with his brother. An interesting, if unlikely, possibility that would be awesome if it came true!