Indie band The Rakes confirm split

London indie band The Rakes have confirmed that they are splitting and have cancelled an upcoming tour.

Alan Donohoe, Matthew Swinnerton, Jamie Hornsmith and Lasse Petersen were due to play five shows around the UK later this month, but have axed all future live plans including dates in America.

"The Rakes have always been very adamant and proud of the fact that we give 100% to every gig we've ever played," the group told NME.

"If we can't give it everything then we won't do it. That was the rule we set ourselves from day one. After much deliberation we have come to the shared conclusion that we can't give it 100% any more and regret to announce that The Rakes are calling it a day.

"Writing your own obituary is a surreal thing to do. But we want to give particular thanks to our much-loved fans, all the great people we've worked with over the years, our management and loyal record label.

"We feel privileged to have had the opportunity to write music together and perform around the world. Genuinely, thanks for the good times... that was one hell of a party! But now, we really must get some sleep."

The Rakes released three studio albums, debut Capture/Release, 2007's Ten New Messages and this year's Klang. They included the singles '22 Grand Job', 'Strasbourg', 'All Too Human' and 'Work, Work, Work (Pub, Club, Sleep)'.