Rage Against the Machine have broken up for a third time, according to the band’s drummer Brad Wilk.
The pioneering and politically radical rap-rock group formed in Los Angeles in 1991. They released four acclaimed albums before initially splitting up in 2000.
The four-piece – Wilk, rapper Zack de la Rocha, guitarist Tom Morello and bassist Tim Commerford – reunited to tour between 2007 and 2011. A second reunion began in 2019, but that appears to have run its course.
In an Instagram post on Wednesday (3 January), Wilk wrote that shows from their Public Service Announcement reunion tour, which were postponed when de la Rocha ruptured his Achilles tendon, would now be cancelled.
“I know a lot of people are waiting for us to announce new tour dates for all the canceled RATM shows,” he wrote. “I don’t want to string people or myself along any further.
“So while there has been some communication that this may be happening in the future… I want to let you know that RATM (Tim, Zack, Tom and I) will not be touring or playing live again. I’m sorry for those of you who have been waiting for this to happen. I really wish it was…”
As well as de la Rocha’s injuries, the band was also dealing with Commerford’s prostate cancer diagnosis.
In 2022, the bassist announced that he’d had had his prostate removed two months before the reunion shows kicked off that July.
“I’ve been dealing with some pretty serious s***,” Commerford told Spin. “Right before I was about to go on tour with Rage, I had my prostate removed, and I have prostate cancer.”
Commerford said that he had always taken care of his health, but the cancer was simply “something where you’re either lucky or not”.
“You can find yourself in a situation like I’m in where it’s like, f***, my whole life changed,” Commerford said. “With everything that happens to me now, I wonder, am I feeling this way because I have cancer? Am I losing my hair because I have cancer? Whatever it is, it makes me wonder if it’s happening because I have cancer.”
A digital rights advocacy group named Fight for the Future has organised the boycott, calling for a ban on face-scanning technology at all live events in the country.
In a press statement, Fight for the Future campaigner Leila Nashashibi said: “Surveillance tech companies are pitching biometric data tools as ‘innovative’ and helpful for increasing efficiency and security. Not only is this false, it’s morally corrupt.”
