The Amity Affliction are entering another period of change.
It’s been a big year for The Amity Affliction, launching their ninth studio album House Of Cards and announcing a headline performance at the Sydney Opera House, the Australian heavyweights now have confirmed a major lineup shift, with drummer Joe Longobardi revealing he has officially exited the band.
Longobardi shared the news with fans via social media last night (June 24th, 2026), ending an eight year run behind the kit.
“After 8 years I have decided to leave The Amity Affliction. I feel extremely grateful and fortunate to have spent those years with the band. I wish Johnny, Dan and Joel along with the crew nothing but the very best moving forward.
It’s been an incredible journey. Thank you all for the love. See you out there”
At the time of publication, The Amity Affliction have not publicly commented on the departure.
House of Cards era
The timing adds another layer to what is already shaping up as one of the band’s most transitional periods, released on April 24th, House Of Cards introduced fans to a refreshed lineup dynamic, with new clean vocalist Jonny Reeves stepping into the fold while the band leaned further into themes of grief, addiction, religion and personal reckoning.
Frontman Joel Birch described the record as deeply tied to his own experiences:
“…If it isn’t about my mother specifically, it is about things that I have experienced that are directly tied to my experience growing up and where that has landed me now. ‘Break These Chains’ is directly tied to that and the confusion I felt when dealing with my mother dying and all the crazy sh*t she had at her house, ‘Speaking In Tongues’ is about the hypocrisy of my mother sending me off to church constantly throughout my life and my very negative experiences within said church, ‘Afterlife’ is me musing on my lack of belief that there is an afterlife, ‘Reap What You Sow’ follows on from there in its own way and ‘Eternal War’ is the closer that explains how I find myself feeling a lot of the time.
There is a line in there “the fool is blind the hand is dealt” which I wrote about my consistent hope that one day my mother would change, written in the context of a gambling addict chasing the perfect hand.”
Sydney Opera House show
The band’s upcoming Sydney Opera House Forecourt headline show remains locked for December 12th, with tickets available here.
Fans are now left wondering what the next chapter of The Amity Affliction looks like, and who will step behind the drums.
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