Clean Bandit star ‘hasn’t heard from Neil Milan’ since he quit the group
By Will Stroude
Neil Milan might have wished Clean Bandit “all the luck” when he unexpectedly quit the chart-topping group last October, but it turns out that’s the last former bandmate Luke Patterson has heard from the star.
Speaking to Metro, Luke, 27, revealed he hasn’t spoken to Neil since the violinist announced his departure from the band after eight years last year.
“I wouldn’t mind having a chat and it would be good to see what he’s up to,” he said. “He’s a clever guy and I’m sure he’s doing well.”
Luke also disappointed fans with the news that they won’t be hearing a Clean Bandit collaboration with Neil’s ex-boyfriend and Years & Years frontman Olly Alexander anytime soon.
Olly and Neil’s highly-visible relationship drew praise in the summer of 2015 for providing LGBT+ fans with a positive example of a young, happy same-sex couple, though the pair sadly went their separate ways later that year.
“We did a session but Olly had his own schedule he needed to follow and he didn’t really want to do features,” Luke revealed.
“Having the relationship complicated everything.”
Neil, who formed Clean Bandit in 2008 with Luke, Luke’s brother Jack and cellist Grace Chatto, announced his departure in a heartfelt post on social media last year, explaining that that the decision to leave had taken “a very long time to reach” but was “the right one”.
The group scored five UK top 10 hits with Neil as part of the line-up, including chart-topping ‘Rather Be’, which has gone on to sell over over one million copies in the UK alone.
The Grammy winners have gone on to taste more chart success since the 27-year-old departure, scoring another UK Number One single with ‘Rockabye’, featuring Sean Paul and rising British singer Anne-Marie.
Clean Bandit’s latest single, ‘Symphony’ – featuring Swedish pop starlet Zara Larsson – drew praise last month for featuring a tragic same-sex love story in its music video.
The video later found itself at the centre of controversy after being blocked by YouTube’s family family filters restricting LGBT+ content, prompting Larsson to ask: “Is this shit for real?”
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