British Invasion band The Hollies have effectively broken up after guitarist Tony Hicks and drummer Bobby Elliott, the last remaining members of the group's classic line-up, announced their retirement on Thursday 20 August. Hicks, 80, is stepping back from touring for health reasons, and Elliott, 84, has chosen to retire alongside him in solidarity, bringing to a close a partnership stretching back more than six decades.

Hicks and Elliott both joined the Hollies in 1963, shortly before the band scored a run of hits including "Bus Stop", "Carrie Anne" and "Look Through Any Window". Both were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2010 alongside fellow members Allan Clarke and Graham Nash, and Hicks was also a key songwriter, co-credited on tracks such as "Carrie Anne" and "King Midas in Reverse". The pair had led a settled Hollies line-up since 2004, alongside singer Peter Howarth, guitarist Steve Lauri, bassist Ray Stiles and keyboardist Ian Parker.