Statement from Tony: After nearly 3 years with The Sweet I am very sorry to have to make the decision to leave the band. I have had some of the best times of my life and have travelled half way round the world with my best friends; I will miss the camaraderie the most. For the last year I have been working full time at a music college as well as travelling every weekend. Working seven days a week I knew at some point that something would have to give. Although I love performing more than anything else in the world I cannot let this new career chance pass me by. It offers me the long term security that I really need in my life. I've met some wonderful people throughout my travels with the band and I really hope that you will understand that although this has been the hardest decision to make only I can choose.

And from Andy Scott: I feel that I have to comment on the recent speculation surrounding Tony's future with the band. The truth is that he does not want to leave and we certainly do not want him to go but unavoidable circumstances have brought us to a crossroads which has to be resolved for all our sakes. Everyone is aware that this is the best line-up we have had but unless some miracle happens it cannot continue. Tony has issues to deal with, both personal (which will remain so but if he needs us we are there for him) and professional. Many people know that he has two careers, the band and his work at a Music College in Birmingham. He excels at both as you would expect. I believe he has a future with the band and beyond, he also loves the challenge of teaching young musicians, engineers and kids who just want to be involved with entertainment and they love and respect him. The epicentre of all of this is that next year he will leave Sweet. There is no animosity and if he needs a sabatical to think things through, away from all pressure, then we will give it to him. To find a replacement who can fit in as perfectly as Tony will be difficult, Fantastic singer, good bassist and all round brilliant bloke. The upshot is that this task has to be tackled with our intention to keep the standards as high as they have been so with that in mind we need a new singer/bass player. The king is dead, long live the king - Sweet will still be trying to be the best on the "live" circuit, come what may. If there is a singer who thinks he has the stamina, vocal range and ability to step into position then he should contact Stewart at the Sweet website, soonest. Russia. We have just returned from a very successful tour with a pretty radical change in the line-up. Steve moved to Vocals/Bass and Phil Lanzon (Uriah Heep) took over Keys. The pedigree speaks for itself. As musicians we knew we could play our way out of any situation and we were proved right. Vocally it was strong, far better than our expectations and the audience reaction was tremendous. Steve does not want to be the singer but I would like to thank him for stepping up and giving his all, thanks to Bruce who's voice gets stronger with every show and to Phil for returning to Russia for the umpteenth time and keeping our spirits up! Vodka and Champagne mainly. This line-up will be seen on a couple of shows in Germany while we make the necessary changes. I am sorry to be the bearer of such news but the sooner we sort this the better. Assuring you of my best intentions at all times, onwards and upwards!

We wish Tony all the best in the future and we fully respect his decision which was very hard to make. Rock on Tony and good luck with your new solo-album !

Tony's life continues on his website www.tonyohora.com !