Members of one of Australia's most loved alternative rock bands of the past 20 years have opted for ''indefinite hibernation'' for the band as they struggle to gel creatively.
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In a statement on the Silverchair website, Daniel Johns, Chris Joannou and Ben Gillies said they were putting the band into a deep sleep while they individually search for more inspiring work.
''This means that Silverchair won't be making music together or playing shows any time soon.
It also means that the three of us won't be working together unless and until it feels right again,'' the statement said.
The band formed as Innocent Criminals in Merewether in 1992 when the trio were aged just 12 and starting at Newcastle High School.
They got their break after winning a national demo competition in 1994 and their debut album, Frogstomp, was released in 1995 to critical acclaim.
The band released a further four albums, the latest in 2007 after a hiatus from 2003 to 2005.
All five albums reached No. 1 on the Australian charts.
Silverchair sold more than 6 million albums and picked up a record 21 ARIA awards.
They began working on a sixth album in 2009 but said that after much soul searching they had decided to go their own ways.
''We understand some of you may be disappointed by this news but we really see it as a liberating and positive step for us at this point in our lives.''
Drummer Ben Gillies took to Twitter last night to dispel reports the group had disbanded.
‘‘It’s NOT a split up I repeat N.O.T a split up Gotta read the fine print :),’’ he said.
