The Mighty Mighty Bosstones break up ahead of their 40th anniversary

By Paul Brannigan
published

After 39 years, with gigs scheduled for the summer, ska-punk stars The Mighty Mighty Bosstones have disbanded

MMB RIP
(Image credit: Frank Hoensch/Redferns)

Boston ska-punks The Mighty Mighty Bosstones have broken up, just one year short of their 40th anniversary. The news of the split comes as something of a surprise, given that the band signed a new record deal in January 2021, and had been booked to play England’s Slam Dunk festival in June.

In a statement posted on their website, the group say:

“After decades of brotherhood, touring the world and making great records together, we have decided to no longer continue on as a band. Above all, we want to express our sincere gratitude to every single one of you who have supported us. We could not have done any of it without you.
Love Always,
The Mighty Mighty BossToneS”

TMMB RIP

(Image credit: The Mighty Mighty Bosstones)

Beyond a three year hiatus from 2004 to 2007, the Bosstones have been active since 1983, with singer Dicky Barrett, saxophonist Tim ‘Johnny Vegas’ Burton, backing vocalist (and tour manager) Ben Carr and bassist Joe Gittleman permanent fixtures in the band.

The group’s most recent album, When God Was Great, was released in May 2021. They were arguably best known for their 1997 single, The Impression That I Get, which has almost 32 million plays on YouTube, and 94 million plays on Spotify.

In a curious twist, the band’s break up comes just days after Rolling Stone revealed that a song that promoted Robert F. Kennedy’s anti-vax rally in Washington, DC, Heart Of Freedom, was apparently produced by Dicky Barrett or someone with the same name.

Paul Brannigan
Paul Brannigan
Contributing Editor, Louder

A music writer since 1993, formerly Editor of Kerrang! and Planet Rock magazine (RIP), Paul Brannigan is a Contributing Editor to Louder. Having previously written books on Lemmy, Dave Grohl (the Sunday Times best-seller This Is A Call) and Metallica (Birth School Metallica Death, co-authored with Ian Winwood), his Eddie Van Halen biography (Eruption in the UK, Unchained in the US) emerged in 2021. He has written for Rolling Stone, Mojo and Q, hung out with Fugazi at Dischord House, flown on Ozzy Osbourne's private jet, played Angus Young's Gibson SG, and interviewed everyone from Aerosmith and Beastie Boys to Young Gods and ZZ Top. Born in the North of Ireland, Brannigan lives in North London and supports The Arsenal.