A band calling it quits rarely means the end. Some groups treat a breakup like a long intermission, and a few have done it again and again.
The eight bands below split, went on hiatus, or lost key members, then came back more than once. Each one has its own reason for returning, from money and nostalgia to unfinished business.
Black Sabbath
Ozzy Osbourne was fired in 1979, which should have closed the original chapter. Instead, the classic lineup appeared together at Live Aid in 1985 and came back properly around 1997 as Ozzfest headliners. They then released the album 13 in 2013.
The group announced a farewell tour called The End, which wrapped up in Birmingham in 2017. They returned one last time on July 5, 2025, for the Back to the Beginning concert at Villa Park, with Osbourne performing. He died later that month, on July 22, 2025.
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols fell apart in January 1978, at the end of a chaotic American tour. Their original lineup reunited in 1996 for the Filthy Lucre tour, a move that was openly about money.
Further reunion shows followed in 2002 for the Queen’s Golden Jubilee and in 2007 and 2008. In 2024 the band played dates with Frank Carter on vocals, since John Lydon was not involved.
Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine split in 2000, after singer Zack de la Rocha left. They reappeared at Coachella in 2007, and a run of live shows continued until 2011.
The band announced another reunion in 2019 and launched a major tour in 2022. That tour was cut short when de la Rocha suffered a leg injury, and the remaining dates were cancelled.
Blink-182
Blink-182 went on indefinite hiatus in 2005. Their return was announced in early 2009, after drummer Travis Barker survived a plane crash the year before that brought the members closer together.
Tom DeLonge left again in early 2015, and Matt Skiba of Alkaline Trio took his place. In late 2022 the band announced DeLonge was back, and it followed with a world tour and the 2023 album One More Time.
The Smashing Pumpkins
Billy Corgan disbanded The Smashing Pumpkins in 2000. He reunited the group in 2006 with drummer Jimmy Chamberlin, and the album Zeitgeist arrived in 2007.
Chamberlin left in 2009, and the lineup kept shifting. In 2018 guitarist James Iha returned, bringing back three of the four original members for the tour and the album Shiny and Oh So Bright.
Spice Girls
Geri Halliwell left in 1998, and the group went on hiatus in late 2001. All five members reunited for the Return of the Spice Girls tour in 2007 and 2008.
They appeared together again at the 2012 London Olympics closing ceremony. In 2019 they toured UK stadiums as a four piece, since Victoria Beckham chose not to take part.
Take That
Take That broke up in 1996, which left a lot of fans heartbroken. The group came back in 2005, helped along by an ITV documentary, and their 2006 album Beautiful World was a major success.
Robbie Williams had left in 1995 and rejoined for the 2010 album Progress. Jason Orange departed in 2014, and the remaining members have continued as a trio.
The Libertines
The Libertines imploded in 2004, as Pete Doherty’s drug problems strained the partnership with Carl Barât. They reunited for headline sets at the Reading and Leeds festivals in 2010.
That led to a proper second act. The band released Anthems for Doomed Youth in 2015, then returned again with All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade in 2024.
