The Open were an English five-piece indie rock

Indie rock

Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...

 band

Musical ensemble

A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...

 who were signed to Loog Records

Loog Records

Loog Records is a British independent record label. Loog was created by former NME editor James Oldham in 2003. It is named after former Rolling Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham...

. Their sound was heavily influenced by Talk Talk

Talk Talk

Talk Talk were an English musical group, active from 1981 to 1991. The group had a string of international hit singles including "Today", "Talk Talk", "It's My Life", "Such a Shame", "Dum Dum Girl", "Life's What You Make It" and "Living in Another World"....

 (particularly their Spirit of Eden

Spirit of Eden

Spirit of Eden was the fourth album by the English band Talk Talk. The songs were written by Mark Hollis and Tim Friese-Greene, and performed by numerous musicians using a diverse combination of instruments. In 2008, Alan McGee of the Guardian wrote: "Spirit of Eden has not dated; it's remarkable...

album), Cocteau Twins

Cocteau Twins

Cocteau Twins were a Scottish alternative rock band active from 1979 to 1997, known for innovative instrumentation and atmospheric, non-lyrical vocals...

, and early U2

U2

U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...

, as well as latterly incorporating jazz

Jazz

Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...

, such as Miles Davis

Miles Davis

Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...

 and Tommy

Tommy (rock opera)

Tommy is the fourth album by English rock band The Who, released by Track Records and Polydor Records in the United Kingdom and Decca Records/MCA in the United States. A double album telling a loose story about a "deaf, dumb and blind boy" who becomes the leader of a messianic movement, Tommy was...

-era The Who

The Who

The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...

. Their debut album The Silent Hours was released in July 2004 to positive reviews.

In February 2006 they released their second album Statues. First single, ‘We Can Never Say Goodbye’ was a minor hit before splitting up in May of the same year. A statement from the band regarding the split reads as follows:

"I believe you are waiting for the official word. So here it is. The news is that we have indeed decided to call it a day with The Open. We leave the two records that we are very very proud of and memories that will remain in our hearts forever. Some of us will continue on our path through music. Some of us will not. We all wish each other the greatest of luck. No excuses, no regrets, no big philosophical kiss off, its just the end of one journey and the start of another. Bless you all for your support over these last years and goodbye. Steve, Jon, Jim, Alan, and Roger.

Members

• Steven Bayley — vocals, guitar
• Jon Winter — guitar
• Jim Reynolds — bass
• Alan Dutton - keyboards
• Roger Westwood — drums, percussion
• Scott Holland — drums, percussion (2002-2004)

Albums

• The Silent Hours (5 July 2004) UK
  UK Albums Chart
  The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
  
   #72
  • Polydor/Loog
    Loog Records
    Loog Records is a British independent record label. Loog was created by former NME editor James Oldham in 2003. It is named after former Rolling Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham...
    
     986 616-0 (CD/LP)
  1. "Close My Eyes"
  2. "Bring Me Down"
  3. "Lost"
  4. "Forgotten"
  5. "Daybreak"
  6. "Just Want to Live"
  7. "Step Into the Light"
  8. "Coming Down"
  9. "Can You Hear"
  10. "Elevation"

• Statues (6 February 2006)
  • Polydor/Loog 987 549-9 (CD/LP)
  1. "Forever"
  2. "We Can Never Say Goodbye"
  3. "Moment in Time"
  4. "Lovers in the Rain"
  5. "Statues"
  6. "My House"
  7. "She's Mystery"
  8. "Seasons of the Change"
  9. "Fallen Free"
  10. "Alone" / "Masquerade" (hidden track)

EPs

• La Lumiere E.P. (13 March 2006)
  • Polydor/Loog 987 672-3 (CD/12")
  1. "We Can Never Say Goodbye"
  2. "The Box"
  3. "I Call You"
  4. "The Mirror"
  5. "We Can Never Say Goodbye" (enhanced video)

Singles

Song	Release date	Release info	Formats	UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...	Album
"Never Enough"	17 November 2003	Polydor (981 307-5)	CD, 12" vinyl	—	Non-album single
"Close My Eyes"	1 March 2004	Polydor (981 729-4)	CD, 7", 12"	46	The Silent Hours
"Just Want to Live"	21 June 2004	Polydor (986 648-9)	CD, 7", 12"	52
"Elevation"	30 August 2004	Polydor (986 749-5)	CD, 7"	54
"Never Enough" (re-issue)	1 November 2004	Polydor (986 877-9)	CD, 7", DVD	53
"We Can Never Say Goodbye"	13 March 2006	Polydor (987 672-3)	CD, 12"	—	Statues (single released as La Lumiere E.P.)
"—" denotes a release that did not chart.

External links

• The Open's official website (redirects to Polydor's website)
• The Open's official MySpace page