fbpx

Ciao: Bassist Phil King leaves Lush; band forced to cancel festival dates

Bassist Phil King has suddenly left Lush, with only three live dates remaining on the British band’s 2016 reunion tour.

The announcement was made Tuesday morning on Lush’s official Facebook page. As a result of King’s departure, the band has cancelled their appearances November 2 at Iceland Airwaves festival and November 4 at Rolling Stone Weekender in Germany.

“We are very sad to announce the departure of Phil King from the band,” Lush write. “As a result, we will no longer be able to appear at the Iceland Airwaves and Rolling Stone Weekender festivals — massive apologies to everyone who was looking forward to seeing us play there. We are in the process of acquiring another bass player and look forward to our final show at Manchester Academy on November 25th.”

King’s departure will leave singer/guitarists Miki Berenyi and Emma Anderson as the two remaining members of the band’s classic-era lineup. Former Elastica drummer Justin Welch joined the band for this recent reunion, filling in for the late Chris Acland, who passed away in 1996.

After releasing the Blind Spot EP in April, Lush recently wrapped up a coast-to-coast North American tour, playing Royale in Boston last month. View Ben Stas’ complete photo gallery from the show here.