"I sent him an honest and open message." After three years of silence, CJ Wildheart is building bridges with Ginger Wildheart

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By ( Classic Rock, Metal Hammer, Louder ) published

Ginger Wildheart is now living with cancer, but CJ would welcome the chance to reunite The Wildhearts' most celebrated lineup

CJ Wildheart and Ginger Wildheart sitting in a pub, with Ginger extending a middle finger
CJ Wildheart and Ginger Wildheart in London, 2019 (Image credit: Will Ireland/Total Guitar Magazine)

Guitarist CJ Wildheart, who left The Wildhearts in 2022 when they disbanded, says he's reached out to Ginger Wildheart in the wake of the frontman's recent cancer diagnosis, and would welcome the chance to reunite the band's most celebrated lineup.

In March, Ginger revealed that he'd been diagnosed with Mantle Cell Lymphoma (MCL), a type of cancer that targets white blood cells, but would not be undergoing chemoimmunotherapy.

"I won't go through treatment," said Ginger. "I've lived the life of ten men and will die with dignity."

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"I sent him an honest and open message," CJ tells Classic Rock. "We hadn’t spoken in three years because The Wildhearts ended badly. His diagnosis came as a shock, though I wasn’t shocked that he decided against treatment – that’s a very Ginger-esque stance.

"Although I said he didn’t need to reply to my message, he did, and with a really nice message. I built a bridge between us. Whether or not Ginger decides to come over that bridge and meet me in the middle is up to him, but I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t love to get myself, Danny [McCormack, bass] and Richie [Battersby, drums] back together again to close the circle."

It's a lineup that took shape several times during the Wildhearts' long and often tempestuous career, most recently between 2018 and 2022, producing the Renaissance Men and 21st Century Love Songs albums.

The band's current lineup, which worked on last year's Satanic Rites of the Wildhearts, features Ginger alongside bassist "Random" Jon Poole, guitarist Ben Marsden, drummer Charles Evans and keyboardist Carol Hodge.

CJ Wildheart's new album, Devil, will be released on June 26. He plans to tour in September.

The Wildhearts: 2026 Tour Dates

Jun 11: Huddersfield Parish, UK
Jul 16: Shipley Kirkgate Centre, UK
Jul 17: Bedford Esquires, UK
Jul 18: Bridgwater The Palace Nightclub, UK
Jul 19: Maidstone Maid of Stone Festival 2026, UK
Jul 20: Birmingham XOYO Birmingham, UK
Aug 08: Southampton The Brook, UK
Aug 09: Stockport Firevolt Rock Festival 2026, UK
Aug 10: Reading Sub89, UK

Find Wildhearts tickets.

Fraser Lewry
Fraser Lewry
Online Editor, Classic Rock

Online Editor at Louder/Classic Rock magazine since 2014. 40 years in music industry, online for 27. Also bylines for: Metal Hammer, Prog Magazine, The Word Magazine, The Guardian, The New Statesman, Saga, Music365. Former Head of Music at Xfm Radio, A&R at Fiction Records, early blogger, ex-roadie, published author. Once appeared in a Cure video dressed as a cowboy, and thinks any situation can be improved by the introduction of cats. Favourite Serbian trumpeter: Dejan Petrović.

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