90s rockers confirm first reunion gig 21 years after split
London, can you wait?
Days after teasing their return, 90s rockers Gene have confirmed they will reunite for the first time in 21 years.
Martin Rossiter, Steve Mason, Kevin Miles, and Matt James formed Gene in 1993, riding the Britpop wave to moderate success.
They are known for hits like Olympian, For The Dead, and We Could Be Kings, which all landed in the UK top 20 singles charts.
Gene also secured two top 10 albums in the 90s but failed to break through to number ones due to the domination of Blur, Suede, Pulp and Oasis.
They eventually amicably split in 2004, pursuing other projects – until now.
To celebrate the 30th anniversary of their debut album, Gene are set to play a one-off gig in London this autumn.
The band teased their return on X days ago (Picture: Gene)‘God forbid I use the F word, but instantly felt like this could be fun. It will be a joyous occasion,’ Martin said of the reunion. ‘I don’t think musically we were ever prosaic.
‘Even for a song that was three chords and the truth, we always weaved an extra melodic interest into everything we did. So to play those songs again, alongside the people who created them, is going to be very special.’
The band, who remained close after the split, will take to the stage at the Eventim Apollo on October 4, 2025.
Tickets will go on sale at 9am on Friday, March 28 through Gene’s official site.
Matt added: ‘All four of us met up, probably for the first time since our last gig, and it immediately felt just like it had always been. We were always very self-depreciating as a group and the banter quickly kicked back in.
‘After a few quips barked across the pub table we relaxed and we all laughed a lot. Straightaway it felt like we were a band again. We’ve just to make sure we can do it musically now too.’
Martin continued: ‘We are putting all our energy into making this musically spectacular. Yes, we’re going to be earning some reasonably decent money, but it isn’t yachts in the Adriatic money and the main thing that convinced me to do this again was that, within five minutes, the conversations between the four of us had reached the point of, “how do we make this brilliant?”
‘So that drive is still there, the dynamic was still there and so I started daydreaming about what it would be like to waggle my – slightly larger – ass on the stage one more time.’
Days ago the band teased their return on X, sharing lyrics to 1995’s hit song London Can You Wait.
‘London, can you wait/For all the things that I must say?/ How long can you wait?/ Oh, how long?’ the band wrote.
Fans were beside themselves at the possibility of a reunion (Picture: Gene/X)Instantly, fans speculated that a reunion gig was on the cards as a glitching video showed the word ‘gone’ blurring with ‘gene’ as well as the song title.
‘I daren’t dream…..couldn’t be, could it?’ wrote steverevison on X, as wellyowl added: ‘Please be some live dates ????????????????’
‘Have I just died and gone to heaven? I hope this means either a tour or new music even?’ said WoodysRoundUp43.
Retlivdead shared: ‘Be still my nineties indie beating heart! The ONE band I’ve wanted to reform more than any other. Is it happening?!’
‘Is this a dream?’ added vieht as jasondarbygas joked: ‘Defibrillator on stand by!! ????’
Gene had a one-off reunion in 2008 for ex-manager Jerry Smith’s 50th birthday party but no official public reunion has ever taken place.
Debut album Olympian peaked at number eight in the charts and remains one of their most popular records, followed up by 1997’s Drawn to the Deep End.
It’s 30 years since Olympian was released (Picture: Andy Willsher/Redferns/Getty Images)Although they were lumped in with the Britpop movement, frontman Martin Rossiter – who is Welsh – has repeatedly rallied against this identity.
While the band has gone on to other projects, Rossiter recently expressed concern over another group called Gene who were opening for Pale Waves in the UK.
He wrote: ‘Genuine question. What should we do about this? I don’t want to financially screw over any up and coming musicians but they’ve taken our name.
‘They’re on a poster supporting @palewaves and it feels wrong. They clearly know about us because they’ve already blocked me without having had any contact with me on Twitter. I’d be interested in people’s thoughts. Thanks.’
The American alt-duo decided to change their name to Bitters after a ‘very amiable conversation’ with Rossiter.
While at the time this was clearly a concern over the band’s legacy being erased, maybe it was also in preparation for this reunion.
This article was originally published on March 14, 2025.
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