John Squire - Intentions For A Stone Roses Reunion

Intentions For A Stone Roses Reunion

After leaving the Stone Roses, Squire allegedly had a lasting feud with ex-bandmate Ian Brown, with the pair not having spoken in over a decade since Squire's departure from the band. In a 2005 Q magazine article, Squire blasted Brown, claiming "When he (Brown) was stoned, he was at best a tuneless nob and at worst a paranoid mess" (this was in response to queries about what had gone wrong with the Second Coming recording sessions, and the state of Brown's vocal due to his cannabis intake). Although both Brown and Squire performed Stone Roses songs in their solo gigs, a band reunion seemed unlikely. Squire was interviewed in June 2007 by Dave Haslam on XFM Manchester radio and discussed his current work as an artist, and claimed that even if Brown phoned him and suggested a Stone Roses reunion, he would turn the offer down. But in an interview on The Culture Show in 2008, Squire stated: "I went to that Led Zeppelin reunion show, and on the way back in the car I was thinking it would be good to do something like that one day."

In March 2009, Squire appeared to put an end to speculation surrounding the Stone Roses' reunion by defacing one of his artworks with the text "I have no desire whatsoever to desecrate the grave of seminal Manchester pop group The Stone Roses." Also on 19 March 2009, Squire appeared on the BBC's Newsnight, and when asked if a reunion would ever occur, he stated that it would "absolutely most definitely not". He said he came on air to address the fans once and for all and also, "to stop the phones ringing." He also stated his belief that music is a young person's game

In March 2011, Ian and John had an "emotional reunion" at the funeral of Mani's mother, which led to speculation that the band were reforming although this was refuted at the time by Mani. However, on 18 October 2011, at London's Soho Hotel, The Stone Roses announced that they would reunite for the first time in fifteen years playing three shows at Heaton Park, Manchester, on 29 and 30 June and 1 July 2012 as part of an extensive Reunion Tour, and on 2 December 2011 Ian Brown and John Squire performed together live for the first time since 1995. They joined Mick Jones from The Clash, The Farm and Pete Wylie at the Manchester Ritz in in aid of the Justice for Hillsborough campaign. The performed "Elizabeth My Dear" as a duo before being joined by Mick Jones and The Farm for renditions of the Clash’s "Bankrobber" and "Armagideon Time" with Ian Brown taking on lead vocals for the three songs. The Stone Roses, Squire, Brown, Alan Wren and Gary Mounfield, played a European tour in the summer of 2012.