THE WHITE STRIPES ARE NO MORE!

This is terrible news.

If you have never (and now will never have) seen the duo of Mr Jack White and Miss Meg White ruin a stage and audience as if they were barely there, then you have missed out on one of rock'n'roll's purest of entities.

To see them is divine. To experience the explosion of noise and passion is nirvana.

It is a genuine announcement that i have never born witness to such a relentless assault of the senses than that which Jack White exposes the audience member to.

There is no reasonable or rational explanation for what is created by two solitary figures on stage.

In the main, a cover version can be catastrophic or passable. Very rarely does it become awe inspiring. The White Stripes version of "Jolene" originally by Dolly Parton is quite magnificent!

If you could bottle the essence of pain and release quite like Jack does when singing " please don't take him, even though i know that you can" then you have all you will ever need from a song about the heart wrenching fear of losing the person you love to someone else.

Quite how the duo can create such a wall of sound from such a small outfit is testament to the raw aggression and talent that lies behind such an irreverent pair.

Quiet and demonstrative, they display an air of nonchalance and relaxation that belies their frenetic and frantic on-stage persona. Jack is an unchained beast, released from its shackles, stalking the stage like a man possessed. Meg, can change within the blink of an eye, into a frenzied skin-thumper, taken over by a rabid behemoth.

It brings a tear to the eye that no-more shall we see such a wondrous spectacle. A sound that should be coming from a 9 piece band, is emanating from one man and his female companion.

The back catalogue is spell binding. The White Stripes, De Stijl, White Blood Cells, Elephant, Get Behind Me Satan and Icky Thump. A legacy of striped down Blues, Rock'n'Roll, Music Hall, South American and many more influences besides, should be a starting point for any modern day musician who wants to make a difference in this sterile music scene, that only realises something new and original once in a blue moon.

Thank God Jack White will continue to be the voice of the true alternative to the mass produced, manufactured, counter culture that is festooned across the Atlantic divide.

It is unfortunate that NME's God-Like Genius award has already been chosen, as these two deserve it, and with such an un-timely demise it would have been a perfect send off to an incredible band.

R.I.P The White Stripes. Long Live Mr Jack White and Miss Meg White.

Thank you for the memories.