At The Dakota Call Time And Get Ready To Take A Final Bow

Words and photos by Steve 'Habibi' Kelk

Posted on April 13, 2019 by Steve Kelk

Stuart Park indie-pop legends At The Dakota have announced via social media that they are calling time on the band and are prepping for one final show at the Darwin Railway Club on May 24th. From their facebook page today:

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It is with heavy hearts today that we announce that At The Dakota has decided to call it a day after 5 years of musical bliss.

At the start of this year, we received the sad news that our drummer, Ben, will be relocating to Melbourne mid year to start another chapter in his life. He was raised in Darwin, so we can’t give him too much stick about being just another ‘blow-in’. As sad as it is, we understand that life takes people in different directions and we genuinely wish him all the best with his future endeavours.

Shortly thereafter, we also received the great news that our bass player, Dan, will soon be a father and, with that, he has decided to devote himself to dad duties and prioritise family life. We totally respect this and support this decision, so regretfully have to let him go, but wish him all the best also.

For the remainder of us, it had seemed like things tracked full circle with the challenge presented once again of seeking a new bass player and drummer. We thought long and hard about this as a possibility but, after much deliberation, decided it was time to wrap things up. It wasn’t an easy decision to make, but we believe this choice allows us to give the band the closure it deserves, so that we can finish it on our own terms and in good spirits together.

Our musical journey has been nothing short of amazing, ever since we started performing in late 2014. The support that you all have shown us by coming to our shows, buying our merch and streaming our music over that time just blows us away. We also feel extremely privileged to have had an amazing support team along the way, many of whom have donated countless hours to see the band reach it’s potential.

We never had any expectations to achieve all the things that we did, but you pushed us to keep striving for our goals and, for that, we are eternally grateful. But, it is also because of your enthusiasm and commitment to the band, that we are deeply saddened by having to bring this news to you, and want you to know this decision has not been taken lightly.

To celebrate the last 5 years, we are throwing on one Final Show on Friday May 24th at Darwin Railway Club. Spread the word and grab your tickets fast, as this is one night only and we want to see as many familiar faces as possible for one last boogie.

Much Love, ATD

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At The Dakota’s final show will be at the Darwin Railway Club on Friday, May 24th – deets below:

We wish the boys all the best for their future and we don’t believe for a second that we have heard the last of them as individual musicians, because quality never goes out of style.