Fairfoull leaves band

On 30 September 2002, Idlewild took to the stage in Cologne with their guitar tech Alex Grant playing bass instead of Bob Fairfoull , with Woomble commenting during the show that Fairfoull had left the band. On 3 October, Idlewild officially announced the departure of Fairfoull due to “personal problems”. Fairfoull had become increasingly distant from the band over the past year, often being absent during the recording of The Remote Part , and his drinking habits were having a negative impact on his playing. Things came to a head with Fairfoull in an argument after a show in Amsterdam , with Woomble later commenting that dismissing Fairfoull “was the best thing that could have happened to the band,” and that “it meant we all finally agreed on how we were going to move forward.” The band and Fairfoull remained friends, with Fairfoull going on to play bass with Edinburgh-based band Degrassi and Paper Beats Rock.