Mick Hucknall has said Simply Red will split in 2009 so he can concentrate on solo projects - though given that Simply Red was in many ways a solo project, Hucknall being at the centre of it all supported by a frequently changing line up of musicians, I'm not sure exactly how much difference that will make - except that it presumably mean Hucknall will release under his own name rather than the Simply Red moniker.
The decision means last album 'Stay' will be Simply Red's final studio album, and that recent single release 'The World And You Tonight' the final single. The band plan to continue to tour into 2009 before officially calling it a day.
Hucknall told the Gold radio network: "I've kind of decided that the 25 years is going to be enough. I've just recorded an album that is a tribute to Bobby Bland, a blues and R&B artist. It's a solo project and I've really enjoyed it - so much that I feel the time has come now to just put a book-end to the [Simply Red] story".
He added that he wanted to "invent a new form of music" influenced by sixties R&B and that "it's a big challenge but I can't do it under the name of Simply Red".