Roger Glover is making it clear that Deep Purple have no intention of turning their legacy into a countdown clock. In a new Far Out interview, the bassist dismissed the idea of a heavily marketed farewell tour, calling it “a bit of a kind of a bit of a cheap publicity thing” and saying that the band simply would not be comfortable with that kind of exit strategy.
Glover said the group once briefly entertained the idea of a final run. He recalled that around six years ago Steve Morse suggested the band do one last tour, announce it properly, and “go off on a high,” but the rest of the group did not want to frame the end that way. Instead, Deep Purple began using the phrase “The Long Goodbye” for the road ahead, a name that captured their refusal to set a dramatic final date.
The bassist’s most direct line summed up Deep Purple’s philosophy: “We thought goodbye is around the corner, but that corner was a long time ago now.” In other words, the band stopped pretending they could predict the finish line and decided to keep going as long as the music and the bodies allow it.
Glover also pushed back against the idea of farewell tours as an emotional event packaged for maximum marketing value. He said that if another band wants to do it and it has genuine emotion behind it, he cannot argue with that, but for Deep Purple, it would not fit. The issue, as he sees it, is not the existence of goodbyes in rock history; it is the manufactured spectacle around them.
He was equally blunt about the rise of hologram and avatar shows, which have become a growing side business for legacy acts. Referring to the way some bands have leaned into that model, Glover said it feels like a “merchandising thing” and described it as “somehow a bit tacky.” For Deep Purple, he made it clear, the appeal is not in selling a digital illusion of the band, but in remaining a real live band for as long as possible.
That stance fits the band’s current momentum. Deep Purple are releasing their 24th studio album, Splat!, on July 3, 2026 via earMUSIC, with the official band site confirming the release and a tour schedule that stretches across multiple continents. The album follows 2024’s =1 and continues the group’s recent run with producer Bob Ezrin, while the live plans extend through late 2026.
The record itself is being framed by the band as a fresh chapter rather than a farewell statement. Deep Purple’s official materials and recent reporting describe Splat! as a new studio album that keeps the band moving forward instead of circling the exit. That makes Glover’s comments feel even more consistent: the band’s identity, at this stage, is persistence.
If the interview makes anything clear, it is that Deep Purple are not interested in a sentimental curtain call. They would rather keep the lights on, keep the amps loud, and let the road decide when the real ending arrives.
