Saint Etienne have announced that their next album to be released later in the year will be their last. It will mark the end of a run spanning 35 years.
They somehow passed me by in their early 90s heyday, I didn't discover them until "He's On The Phone" in 1995 and never knowingly heard another of their tunes until I saw their greatest hits on offer around the turn of the century which I bought on the strength of "He's On The Phone".
I do however remember Sarah Cracknell's brief solo career in 1996 and given that and the fact their greatest hits went up to 1995 I assumed at the time that was the year they called it a day. Already having a fondness for the early 90s I saw 1995 as a great time to bow out and they'd be frozen in time and always fondly remembered. Little did I know they hadn't split up and would be around for another 25 years.
As the years went on though they took on another significance. I live in London and have lived here longer than I've lived anywhere else, but I don't come from here originally. The thought of moving to London never appeared on my radar when I was younger, but once people started flocking there after university my head started to turn.
With a few St Etienne albums now in my collection I realised just how London centric their music was. It painted a picture of a place I wanted to experience myself. The day I handed my notice in at work because I'd secured a job in London I was listening to Saint Etienne in my car. I didn't choose that CD on purpose, but it did seem symbolic.
When I moved to London I was in my 20s and still going to clubs full of other 20 somethings. I would describe my music of choice as electronic music and would consider Saint Etienne as part of that description. However, you wouldn't hear their music at the Ministry of Sound and the likes. In fact when I first went to see them in concert I was surprised at just how old the audience were.
Perhaps this is a factor in why they're calling it a day. Their audience hasn't really grown or dwindled over the years, it's stayed consistent. Their fan base isn't getting any younger and their legacy probably isn't going to pass through generations.
Nothing stays the same forever. Eventually my days of going to the Ministry of Sound or seeking out the latest tunes fizzled out. It was replaced by a growing interest in music history which is the main reason why I started this blog. It would appear this is where Bob Stanley's interests lie too.
By the time the "Home Counties" album had come out, Pete and Sarah had done the unthinkable. They'd moved out of London, Pete moved to Brighton and Sarah moved to the Oxfordshire countryside. Some time later Bob moved to Leeds.
It seems a bit strange that I'm living in London but Saint Etienne aren't. But then who knows, I may have moved out of London myself by the time I get to their age. What I do know is the aspirations I have now differ from the aspirations I had when I first moved here.
At the same time my perception of Saint Etienne has changed over the years. By the time their "Words & Music" album came out in 2012 I was well and truly settled in London, the band members were probably still living in London and it felt like a moment to celebrate London I guess.
Since then I can't say I've been overly impressed by their more recent material and as much as I enjoy their older music it does have its limitations. I've also never bought any of these deluxe editions and limited edition boxsets etc. they seem to be constantly bringing out, I'm happy to make do with the normal albums.
Fair play to them though. They've carved out a moderately successful career spanning 35 years with by their own admission limited music talent and have a loyal fan base, many of whom are willing to part with vast sums of money to fund an ever growing Saint Etienne collection. Nothing lasts forever though.
