The Maccabees have announced they are splitting up after 14 years together as a band.
The British indie rockers – Orlando Weeks, Hugo White, Felix White, Rupert Jarvis and Sam Doyle – have taken to Twitter and Facebook to tell their fans they have collectively made the "difficult" decision to call time on their career.
The five-piece assured fans they have not had a bust-up but just came to the conclusion the time was right to go their separate ways but they intend to sign off with some "celebration shows".
The statement read: "After 14 years as a band we have decided to call it a day. The decision has obviously been an incredibly difficult one, given that The Maccabees has been such a huge part of our lives until now. We are very proud to be able to go out on our own terms, at our creative peak and off the back of the best and biggest shows we have ever done. There have not been fallings out and we are grateful to say that we are not leaving the group behind as a divided force. It has been a rare and absolutely incredible time that we all feel very lucky to have shared.
"Love to anyone who has ever stood by our band, bought our records, come and seen us play, or cared and contributed in whatever capacity it may have been. We have always valued it immeasurably, tried to honour it as best we could and can only say thank you to you all very deeply and sincerely … There will be some farewell celebration shows announced in the near future.
"Once again, especially to fans of The Maccabees, thank you for the countless good times that we will never forget. Take care and we will be in touch soon."
In the statement, the band also hinted that they would all continue to make music in some capacity going forward.
It continued: "Though there are no concrete plans at this stage, we are all planning to continue making music. We are excited about the future and intend to move on, with some sadness, but with appreciation, affection and huge pride at the music we have made and all that we have achieved together."
Since forming in 2002, The Maccabees released four albums; 2007 debut ‘Colour It In’, ‘Wall of Arms’ in 2009, 2012’s ‘Given to the Wild’ and most recently ‘Marks To Prove It’, which came out in July 2015.
The Maccabees announce split
