Legendary Kiwi rockers Shihad announce split after 36 years: ‘It’s been quite a time of grief’

Iconic New Zealand rockers Shihad have announced they are splitting up after 36 years.

The Wellington-bred band revealed the split while announcing their swansong tour Loud Forever.

The Aussie leg of the run will see Shihad hit Adelaide, Sydney, Perth Brisbane, and Melbourne from February to March 2025.

In a statement announcing the tour explained that the split was due to members Jon Toogood, Tom Larkin, Phil Knight, and Karl Kippenberger not being able to devote their full time to the band.   

‘With gaps between albums increasing, growing commitments outside the band, and band members’ inability to give Shihad the time, focus and dedication it needed and deserved, they made the hard call to end the band,’ the statement read.

While opinions within differ, they are united in agreement that half-a**ing Shihad was never an option.’

Speaking to the New Zealand Herald, bass player Scott Kippenberger said that while the writing was on the wall, he felt grief at the loss of his band.   

‘It’s been a long time coming, It’s been a long process for us. I’m relieved for the announcement,’ he said.

‘It’s a range of emotions. ‘Deep down, I never want this to end.

‘Grief. It’s been quite a time of grief.’

Enjoying a career that spanned almost four decades, Shihad build their career on the back of an uncompromisingly powerful live show.

In a statement announcing the tour explained that the split was due to members Jon Toogood (pictured), Tom Larkin, Phil Knight, and Karl Kippenberger not being able to devote their full time to the band.

The band enjoyed two top ten albums in Australia – 2002’s Pacifier, and 2014’s FVEY – and were nominated for four ARIA awards.

The band’s influence in their native New Zealand cannot be overstated with six of their albums hitting number one, including their latest Old Gods, which dropped in 2021.

The band have also won 18 Aotearoa Music Awards and were inducted into the New Zealand Hall of Fame in 2010. 

Off the back of the success late ’90s success, the band shifted focus to try to crack the difficult US market, deciding to record their 

‘It’s a range of emotions. ‘Deep down, I never want this to end. ‘Grief. It’s been quite a time of grief,’ bass player Karl Kippenberger told the New Zealand Herald

Early in 2001 Shihad focused their attention on the US market and signed with an American-based management.

They started work on their next album, Pacifier, in Los Angeles, however before the album was completed, the US was rocked by the September 11 terrorist attacks in New York.

In the wake of the tragedy, Shihad briefly changed their name to Pacifier as it was felt that the original name sounded like ‘Jihad.’

The band eventually reverted back to their original name in 2004.