Close to 50 years since they first formed, hard rock icons Rose Tattoo have announced that the end is nigh for the band.

Word of their impending demise was revealed on 3AW Melbourne on Saturday, April 26, with frontman Angry Anderson telling Darren James and Lee Simon that 2026 will see the band pulling up stumps on an impressive musical legacy.

After reflecting on their lengthy career, Anderson noted that “nearly 50 years later and we wrap it up next year, ‘26, for good.”

“We will be 50 years old in ’26 on New Year’s Eve,” he continued. “I am proud to say, because I have survived all the original members – and a few along the way – we have achieved what we set out to achieve what to do. At the end of the day if you can say that you are a lucky man.”

Rose Tattoo first formed in Sydney in 1976, releasing a total of five albums before splitting in 1987. Throughout that initial decade, the group were constant fixtures on the Australian charts thanks to albums such as 1978's self-titled debut, 1981's Assault & Battery, and 1982's Scarred For Life, which peaked at #11 on the ARIA chart.

Meanwhile, singles such Bad Boy For Love, We Can't Be Beaten, Born To Be Wild, and Calling were enough to be influential for groups such as Guns N’ Roses, who even covered the song Nice Boys on their 1986 EP Live ?!*@ Like A Suicide.

Following a brief reunion in 1992 to support Guns N' Roses, Rose Tattoo again split the following year, but have been active again since 1998, recording an additional four albums, with 2020's Outlaws currently being their last. In 2006, the group were also inducted into the ARIA Hall Of Fame.

However, despite their impending farewell, Anderson notes that the group are in the process of working on a new album (they previously shared a cover of Stevie Wright’s Hard Road in January), with a potential to keep recording with the current iteration of the band into the future.