10 bands who have the most wholesome friendships with each other

So many of rock and metal’s biggest bands have been rocked by line-up instability. Slipknot, Guns N’ Roses, Paramore and System Of A Down are just a few of the massive names whose time as a group as hardly been plain-sailing, with in-fighting and tensions leading to members publicly falling out, and on some occasions even quitting. Such occurrences aren’t a criticism – most bands who’ve spent over a decade together will experience line-up shifts – but given the regularity with which bands lose members or argue, it’s always nice to see groups who have been together a while and clearly remain the best of friends.

From pop-punk newbies to metal’s big-hitters, these 10 bands all have incredibly wholesome friendships with each other…

Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tré Cool have spent over 30 years together in Green Day, and they remain as close now as they did in their youth. The trio have stuck together through a whirlwind of successes, as well as the odd trouble here and there, and it’s never once felt like the stability of the line-up has been at risk. Above all, the atmosphere within the band always feels fun, something Billie Joe explained to Kerrang! in our cover story about 2020 LP Father Of All… “We did these long jam sessions and we put up lights and video all over the rooms, and it was just fun,” he said of the positivity within the band’s creative process. “It felt more like a happening than it did rehearsal. And I have to say, none of it really sounded good. It was just fun and we were making a mess. And I think with Green Day, the first thing that comes to mind with making a record is making a mess first.”

Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun are like brothers. “From the beginning of our friendship, we’ve always been on the same page,” is how Josh described their relationship to Kerrang! earlier this year, and it’s clear in the way that the duo are able to extend that relationship to members of the Skeleton Clique around the world that what they have between them is pretty special. As twenty one pilots continue to evolve into alt. music icons, expect that connection to grow only stronger.

Photo: Ashley Osborn

Enter Shikari has always been Rou Reynolds, Chris Batten, Rob Rolfe and Rory Clewlow, and it’d just feel weird to have it any other way. Few bands can stick it out for over two decades without at least one member jumping ship, but it always feels like the members of Enter Shikari share a united vision, and it’s one that consistently has them producing music and art that’s way ahead of the curve.

Photo: Tom Pullen

A band of literal – well, two-thirds, at least – brothers, Biffy Clyro’s current status as one of the UK’s leading rock heavyweights lies in the strong bonds of friendship and family that exist within the band. “The core is the three of us together, with that slight DIY chip on our shoulder,” bassist James Johnston told Kerrang! of their relationship. “The changes we’ve been through as people and collectively have all happened naturally and happened together, so we’ve been able to take our learnings from the band into our lives, and our learnings from life into the band.”

Another inseparable group who’ve been together from the beginning, the members of All Time Low have grown from kids who’d hang with one another at shows into one of modern rock’s most likeable bands. Currently having one of the biggest moments of their career thanks to the success of Wake Up, Sunshine single Monsters, ATL are proof that sticking together and believing in your band are key to longevity.

The relationship between firebrand frontman Awsten Knight and fellow Waterparks members Otto Wood and Geoff Wigington is the definition of wholesome. While he may hyperactively tease his bandmates on social media, it’s Awsten’s fondness for Otto and Geoff that shines through. Check this interview we did with the band at Reading Festival 2016, which quickly descends into a juvenile game of coin-flipping…

Photo: Jawn Rocha

They’ve been to hell and back, but the members of Architects have done it together. Doing things by their rules and on their terms, the impenetrable unity within the band is a testament to the strength of character that Sam Carter, Dan Searle and the rest of their Architects bandmates exude. As well as their monumental music, it’s the love and friendship at the core of the band that make them such an integral part of the UK’s metal scene.

Photo: Ed Mason

Bring Me The Horizon suffered from a small amount of line-up instability earlier in their career, but ever since the band parted ways with former guitarist Jona Weinhofen in 2013, things have felt solid. The Sheffield boys share a real camaraderie, while the friendship and mutual respect between frontman Oli Sykes and keyboardist Jordan Fish is the driving force behind much of what they do, with Oli leading the way on Bring Me’s big themes and ideas, and Jordan honing in on the musical intricacies that tie it all together. A band with a gang mentality that’s grown into a rock phenomenon, the bonds that formed between these scrappy Yorkshire lads over 15 years ago remain intact to this day.

A full 20 years with no line-up drama is testament to the friendship at the core of Mastodon. Speaking to Red Bull Music Academy, bassist Troy Sanders described the environment within the band as a “four-way man marriage”. “I don’t have many friends outside of these three guys that I’ve had for 17 years,” he said. “So I think we’ve outlasted most friendships and most marriages. Then again, we have a four-way man marriage. I’m proud of that.”

They’re far younger and haven’t been together anywhere like as long as the rest of the bands featured here, but there’s a real sense of togetherness within the ranks of K! cover stars Meet Me @ The Altar. Edith Johnson, Téa Campbell and Ada Juarez all met online and spent their early years as a band living in different states in the U.S., but despite not being able to spend as much time together as your average band, they still built an insane amount of momentum, which eventually led to them signing with Fueled By Ramen last year. Now, with the release of excellent new EP Model Citizen in the bag, Meet Me @ The Altar look set to change the face of pop-punk for good.

Photo: Jonathan Weiner

Read this next:

• 13 essential Biffy Clyro B‑sides that every fan should know
• Mastodon: 20 years of triumph, tragedy and scaling the metal mountain
• 11 bands and artists who wouldn’t be here without Green Day