Fat Mike Says NOFX Will Split Up In 2023

NOFX bandleader Fat Mike has revealed that the band intends to split up in 2023. The bass player, primary songwriter and frontman for the Californian punk legends made the shocking announcement via the most low-key method imaginable, a reply to an Instagram comment. 

As reported by Spin, Fat Mike (legal name Michael John Burkett ) responded to a fan's question about why the band doesn't tour Canada anymore, by unveiling the band's plans to stage one final round of shows in 2023.

"Actually, We love Canada, it’s just that next year will be our last year. We will be announcing our final shows soon. It’s been an amazing run….” Responding to a follow-up comment from a fan about where their final show might take place,  Mike revealed that “Los Angeles will be the last place we play. It’s where we started, it’s where we’ll end.”

The planned farewell tour would also mark the hugely influential punk acts official 40th anniversary, having formed in Los Angeles's infamous hardcore punk scene in 1983. The band has released 14 studio albums in their career, notching up over 8 million record sales and earning the label as one of the highest-selling independent artists of all time. Their most recent record, Single Album was released in 2021.

NOFX's upcoming appearance at the Good Things Festival in December now looks likely to be their Australian swansong. Speaking in a wide-ranging interview with The Music's Dan Cribb in August, Fat Mike revealed that he doesn't actually like the idea of playing live until the moment he is actually doing it. 

“What's funny is, I don't like playing,” he reveals. “It's weird… I don't like playing shows until I'm on stage, then I'm like, ‘Oh, this is fun.’ The next day I'll be like, ‘Oh God, I don't want to play. I don't want to play. I don't want to play.’ And I get on stage like, ‘Oh, this is fun.’ It's just weird.” 

It seems that weirdness now has an expiry date of 2023.