I’d estimate that over 90 per cent of people in bands continually deliberate for how long they can continue to put time and effort into their enterprise without any financial reward to show for it. Illness – whose debut album of guitar-and-drums-driven instrumental songs, 'Some Vegetable Waste' we reviewed earlier this year – have decided to break-up, for whatever reason(s).
They have three final gigs planned, Hastings this Thursday, Brighton on Friday and lastly in London on Saturday. The band have also released this 'Break-Up Tape' free to download, as was the album, to mark their passing. I liked the album and their previous EP’s, but I can imagine that the music needs a lot of time in development to be tight when played live, so Illness is not a trivial undertaking.
The 'Break-Up Tape' is a cool document and stands up well in comparison with their previous releases. Opener 'Basic Land' is maybe a bit of a sprawl but 'Nathan Crayon' and 'Fat Kuwra' are chunky tunes. 'Trk Trk' closes with some vocals, which may be unique in their song cannon, and is waspishly Pavement-like.
Both this tape and the album show a developing maturity in their music and so it’s really a shame they have decided to call it a day. I strongly suggest you try to catch them before it’s too late and wish them luck in their future endeavours - check Tumblr for details of their final gigs this week.
Download the Illness back catalogue for free at Bandcamp. Purchase 'Some Vegetable Waste' on vinyl at Big Cartel.
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