New Zealand rock legends Shihad are calling it quits. After 36 years, 10 albums, and many performances across the world, the Wellington rockers – consisting of frontman Jon Toogood, drummer Tom Larkin, bassist Karl Kippenberger, and guitarist Phil Knight –announced Tuesday that they will disband after embarking on a final tour, The Loud Forever Tour.
“With gaps between albums increasing, growing commitments outside the band, and band members’ inability to give SHIHAD the time, focus and dedication it needed and deserved, they made the hard call to end the band,” a press release announcing the split explained, per news.com.au. “While opinions within differ, they are united in agreement that half-assing SHIHAD was never an option.”
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Founded in Wellington, New Zealand in 1985 under the original name Exit by Larkin and Toogood, the group was renamed Shihad in 1988 when Geoff Duncan and Phil Knight were brought on bass guitar and guitar. The group quickly rose to become one of the most beloved bands of Australia and New Zealand.
After releasing their debut track, “Down Dance,” in August 1990, Shihad released their debut studio album, Churn, in 1993. It was followed by nine more albums throughout the band’s 36-year history, with five of those hitting the top 20 in Australia. They dropped their most recent album, Old Gods, in 2021.
“The fundamental chemistry and makeup of what makes Shihad special and what makes Shihad work requires certain things to be in place,” Larkin said of the group’s decision to split, per Double J. “When you can’t sustain those things or plan for those things, it takes away from Shihad being something that makes sense. It’s about a shared commitment and a shared energy.”
Knight added, “Personal relationships and professional work don’t always survive forever, but we’ve lived it all. We really have.”
Before disbanding early next year, Shihad will embark on one final tour across New Zealand and Australia. The Loud Forever Tour is set to kick off at Rock the Bowl in New Plymouth, New Zealand on Dec. 29, and will see the band travel to Wanaka, Hawkes Bay, Nelson, Auckland, Wellington, and more before they journey to Australia beginning on Feb. 13. They will perform their final show at The Forum in Melbourne, Australia on March 17.
