The Virgins Call It Quits
After two albums and a number of tours, New York City rock band the Virgins are calling it quits. But frontman Donald Cumming tells Rolling Stone that there was no internal strife that led to the decision – rather, it had to do more with where they are in their professional lives. “I was a young guy and wanted to be in a band and it was great, but I don’t feel that way anymore,” he says. “I’m an adult now and I think there’s something really unsettling about a grown man walking around pretending to be a teenager.”
The band broke out in 2008 with their single “Rich Girls,” off their self-titled debut, and played a number of large festivals, including Lollapalooza, Glastonbury and Reading. Cumming shuffled the line-up and the group returned this year with Strike Gently, which came out on Julian Casablancas’ Cult Records. They joined the Killers on tour in May and June.
Cumming will now start working on a solo record in a few weeks. “I just want to keep doing new things,” he says. “I was really proud of the last record and it’s a great feeling to end the band in a place where I’m really happy. I don’t know what the next thing would be except to try something I have never done before.”
The band’s 2014 European dates have been canceled and fans who purchased tickets will receive refunds.