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Stranger Things star Finn Wolfhard reveals why his former band split up

The Canadian actor has now formed a new outfit with drummer Malcolm Craig.
The Canadian actor has now formed a new outfit with drummer Malcolm Craig.

Stranger Things star Finn Wolfhard has revealed his former band, Calpurnia, split up because thing became too “businessy”.

The actor, who plays Mike Wheeler in the Netflix science-fiction series, said performing in the Vancouver four-piece had become “really taxing” due to his acting commitments.

The band split up in November 2019, saying in a statement that “our time playing together as Calpurnia has come to an end”.

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Dear Friends, It’s bittersweet to share this news, but we want to let you know that our time playing together as Calpurnia has come to an end. We are extremely grateful for the support we’ve received over the past few years. What seemed to us like an unimaginable reality came to be, and we have been thrilled to share the ride with you. It’s been an honour and a gift to meet, work with, and play for so many wonderful people. We feel lucky and hugely grateful for the many fantastic opportunities that came our way. We’re all going to be starting fresh chapters in our lives: new projects, new music, new creative ventures, and new experiences to come. One last giant thank you to our friends at Royal Mountain Records, our manager Bix, our families, and especially our amazing fans. We’ll never forget you! -Calpurnia (📸 @mennovers)

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Wolfhard, 17, is currently releasing music as part of The Aubreys with former Calpurnia drummer Malcolm Craig.

Appearing on Matt Wilkinson’s Apple Music show, the lead singer and guitarist admitted playing with Calpurnia had become a “chore”.

He said: “We played some incredible shows, but it just became really taxing because I’m an actor. That’s what pays the bills and what I do 99% of the time.

“It was hard for the label and the band to honour that because we’d be getting shows and I wasn’t allowed to do them.

“It just became way more of a chore than fun, because it wasn’t fun. I already had so many obligations that I didn’t want to complicate things.”

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📷 @daniellelevitt

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Woflhard said he had realised that he enjoyed “jamming” with Craig far more than performing on stage.

“It just became really businessy,” he added.

“The minute it becomes more about business than the music, you should get out of there.

“We call that a hiatus, just testing stuff out. Malcolm and I randomly hung out.

“That’s what we do, we just jam. We’ve been jamming since we were 11 and then we were like: ‘This is what it should be.’”

Wolfhard said he hoped to open for bands including Irish post-punk outfit Fontaines DC, Wilco and Flaming Lips, and play festivals in the new year.