If Jesus can come back from the dead and Oasis can reform, anything is possible. True, we’re still a few months out from the brothers Gallagher actually stepping onto a stage together, so there’s no telling if that one will have the same longevity as the son of God did.
To be fair, he was more of a forgiving sort and didn’t have any siblings repeatedly calling him a potato. You’d at least hope a Jesus 2026 world tour wouldn’t be dynamically priced.
The Eagles once said hell would freeze over before they’d get back together, but they’ve now been doing the reunion circuit since the mid-90s, suggesting an inside line on weather conditions in the underworld. LCD Soundsystem said goodbye with a massive Madison Square Garden residency and a documentary and then reformed several years later, like that Australia-bound friend who throws the biggest going away party and comes back two weeks later because they didn’t like the heat.
It all makes you question exactly how definite the end can ever really be. So, beyond Oasis and Jesus, who else would we want to see resurrected? The list is long and ambitious, but you never know…
R.E.M.
About five years ago, this would have seemed an absolute no-hoper, but along came Michael Shannon and Jason Narducy with their elevated tribute act and suddenly, there they were, all four members on stage at the 40 Watt Club playing ‘Losing My Religion’.
Despite their assertions that it was a one-time thing, they repeated the feat in February of this year, suggesting that this might be more of a possibility than we’d previously dreamed. After all, there was no big falling out, just a mutual decision to call it a day. Bill Berry’s return to the drumkit in 2023 with the band The Bad Ends has made it all that little bit more likely. The only hair in the ointment is that R.E.M. have never done anything for the payday, so this would only happen if they feel there’s a very good reason for it.
Odds: 11/1
The Smiths
If you wanted to make the entire population of record shop owners and music journalists soil themselves in union, announce a Smiths reunion. Sadly (thankfully?) we’re incredibly unlikely to ever witness that phenomenon and Andy Rourke’s death in 2023 isn’t even the biggest obstacle. Morrissey’s commitment to publicly voicing his opinions has alienated all but the most loyal fans and ensured that he and Johnny Marr are as estranged as they’ve ever been.
There was the briefest of ripples when Rick Astley started doing his covers routine with Blossoms but even intense peer pressure on social media couldn’t motivate Marr to show the least bit of interest. Perhaps one day, when the alien worm controlling Morrissey’s brain returns to its home planet, but until then, chances are close to non-existent.
Odds: 1000/1
Talking Heads
The New York art punks have never gone out of fashion, but there was a period about 10 years ago where it all ramped up and you couldn’t leave the house without hearing ‘This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)’. David Byrne has now become everyone’s favourite endearingly weird uncle and Chris Frantz’s wonderful memoir Remain In Love paints his former frontman as odd and distant but never suggests there’s any lasting animosity, leaving the door definitely ajar.
The band appeared together at the Toronto Film Festival in 2024 to mark the 40th anniversary of Stop Making Sense and Frantz’s vague proclamation of “we shall return” could be interpreted as suggesting that this could be on the cards. We remain in hope.
Odds: 9/1
Fleetwood Mac
At this point any Fleetwood Mac activity probably relies on Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks getting along, a difficult proposition ever since their romantic relationship ended acrimoniously in 1976. The most recent chapter in their storied animosity saw Buckingham ousted before the band’s 2018 tour and replaced with Neil Finn of Crowded House and Mike Campbell of the Heartbreakers, which is both a stellar line-up and evidence of how hard it is to replace Lindsey Buckingham.
Still, even if Buckingham and Nicks were to mend fences, the death of Christine McVie in 2022 has made it all even more unlikely. Weirder things have happened but there are maybe too many variables for this to be a going concern again.
Odds: 100/1
Menswear
The 90s weren’t particularly kind to Menswear, hyping them up and then quickly writing them off as pretty boys playing at being a Britpop band. By the time they split, things had taken such a dark turn that nobody even bothered announcing it. History has somewhat corrected that point of view, especially with their lost second album ¡Hay Tiempo! finally seeing the light of day in 2020. The record may have been an expensive wrong turn at the time, but now its orchestral take on Laurel Canyon folk rock sounds positively glorious.
Even with that overdue reappraisal of the band’s legacy, they remained adamant that no reunion was on the cards and it sounds as if their arduous recovery from their brief bout with fame was enough to rule out a return. Still, if anyone deserves a victory lap, it’s Menswear.
Odds: 66/1
Pink Floyd
Another entry in the “can’t even be in the same room as each other” column. Floyd’s twin pillars of Roger Waters and David Gilmour have zero interest in even communicating with each other, with Gilmour’s wife Polly Samson attacking Waters on social media, calling him “antisemitic… a Putin apologist and a lying, thieving, hypocritical, tax-avoiding, lip-synching, misogynistic, sick-with-envy, megalomaniac.”
That bridge seems less burnt and more permanently obliterated. Add in Richard Wright’s death in 2008 and this seems about as likely as Putin, Trump, Zelenskyy and JD Vance appearing on top of the White House roof singing ‘We Are the World’.
Odds: 2000/1
The Housemartins
If we can’t have the actual Smiths then could we at least have Hull’s answer to The Smiths? The 40th anniversary of London 0 Hull 4 is in 2026 and if people could keep reminding Paul Heaton of that fact, it would be greatly appreciated.
He’s always said it’s not on the cards, but Heaton and ex-Housemartins bassist Norman Cook (aka Fatboy Slim) reunited for a rendition of ‘Happy Hour’ at Glastonbury in 2024, so stranger things have happened.
Odds: 40/1
The Replacements
The Minneapolis legends’ last tour was in 2015, but that was so unexpected that another seems astronomically unlikely. Reclusive frontman Paul Westerberg has retreated even further from the public eye in the meantime, all but stopping any musical activity. Original guitarist Bob Stinson died in 1995 and his replacement Replacement Slim Dunlap died in December 2024, but seeing as 90 per cent of indie rock guitarists would cite the band as influences, they wouldn’t have any issue finding a top-notch replacement replacement Replacement (we’d advocate strongly for The Hold Steady’s Tad Kubler).
But what makes this truly unlikely is that on every date on their 2015 tour, Westerberg wore a t-shirt with a different letter on it. When put together, the letters spelled: “I have always loved you. Now I must whore my past.” Not the words of someone who is dying to get out on the road again.
Odds: 200/1
Nirvana
Yes, we’re aware that there’s a considerable obstacle to Nirvana reforming. But Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl have shown no hesitation about playing together, even reuniting as recently as January 2025 at a California wildfire relief fundraiser with Joan Jett, Kim Gordon, St Vincent and Dave’s daughter Violet standing in for the much-missed Kurt Cobain.
But if Nirvana were to give the reunion thing a proper go, who could fill those shoes? There’s obviously ex-Silverchair frontman Daniel Johns, a man who was frequently compared to Cobain in the 90s. Or it’d be satisfyingly poetic if they opted for the originator of the phrase “smells like teen spirit”, Bikini Kill’s Kathleen Hanna. Our pick would be someone who has a similar enigmatic charisma and a spiritual connection to Kurt, DIIV’s Zachary Cole Smith.
Odds: 50/1
Hall & Oates
Following the most public of spats, Daryl Hall and John Oates’ relationship is now at the point of no return, leaving reconciliation as unlikely as it gets. But we can’t just let that be that, can we? Instead, with the sad passing of Mark E Smith, there’s an opportunity here to create the ultimate supergroup: The Fall & Oates.
Yes, for one time only, see all 50 former members of post-punk mavericks The Fall fronted by yacht rock supremo John Oates, playing a set comprised of the best of both bands. Ever wanted to hear ‘Spoilt Victorian Child’ followed by ‘Maneater’? I could go for that.
Odds: 3000/1
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- Band Reunions
- Britpop
- Fantasy Tours
- Indie Rock
- Music Comebacks
- Musical What Ifs
- Nirvana
- Pink Floyd
- R.E.M.
- Talking Heads
- The Smiths
