In August 2018, Teenage Fanclub posted a statement revealing that Love was leaving due to "unresolvable difference of opinion" on their proposed tour plans for last year.
Speaking to The Scotsman about his departure from the band, Love says, "You can’t put it in a nutshell – he left, they sacked him. It wasn’t like that. It was quite a sophisticated, complex thing which has got different dimensions. I don’t feel I was the victim, I had a part to play in it. As much as I like touring and being in other countries, it’s the getting there that kills me. I do it when it’s necessary but I’m anxious about flying – once you lose connection with the earth I start to panic."
Love goes on to reveal that his vision for the band was different to Raymond McGinley and Norman Blake's, and adds, "The only thing that bugs me is the narrative that I left the band. That’s not the way it was. It was a disagreement that turned into a dispute that turned into a stand-off that turned into a solution that suited neither party. Any collective only exists at the point of agreement and diversity has served Teenage Fanclub well over the years. Three different ideas of how to approach music provided a broad palette but then you take it into a business context and diversity causes problems."
In 2018, Love performed a series of anniversary shows with Teenage Fanclub, which he describes as "an emotional reunion". Love goes on to say, "It wasn’t pure nostalgia, you’re actually in the moment with someone again. Brendan’s fairly unpredictable, so the sideshow of his dealings with his rehearsal schedule created light relief. Though I didn’t like the dramatic idea that they were my last shows, it was the perfect ending, if you could ever choose it. All of us together again for a brief moment."
Since leaving Teenage Fanclub, Love has reignited his Lightships project with Teenage Fanclub's Dave MacGowan on guitar and Belle & Sebastian’s Bob Kildea on bass. They will play Glasgow's multi-venue Great Western Festival next weekend.
Speaking about the future, Love says, "I honestly thought I’d be doing the Teenage Fanclub thing until I’m in an old folks home. I’m not saying it’s like an enforced mid-life crisis but obviously when you’re 50 years old and you think you’re going to do something all your life and then the story changes, there is no map. I’ve got a total blank page and sometimes that’s terrifying and sometimes that’s the most exciting thing in the world."
