Noah and the Whale split after eight years to focus on solo projects

The London five-piece have already set up their own solo websites

Noah and the Whale are splitting up to focus on solo projects after eight years in the band.

The London five-piece have released four albums since forming in 2006 with their latest release, Heart of Nowhere, arriving in 2013. They first rose to fame in 2008 with popular folk-pop song "5 Years Time" from their first album Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down.

"Noah and the Whale have decided to call it a day," an official statement on their Facebook page read. "We have had an incredible eight years together and are immensely grateful to everyone who has helped us along the way.

"There are too many people to mention in this short message but we would like to take this opportunity to give special thanks to all of our amazing fans, who have supported us so magnificently over the years and made everything possible."

Charlie Fink, Tom Hobden, Matt Owens, Fred Abbott and Michael Petulla have all created their own websites, linked to at the bottom of their message.

Some fans were so heartbroken at the news that they began speculating that it could be an April Fools. This is not believed to be the case but it seems likely the band members will continue making music separately, based on posts from their respective social media accounts.

Hebden is touring with Mumford and Sons while Owens and Abbott are working on solo albums.