Mark Knopfler on why chances of Dire Straits reunion are so far away

Sign up to Roisin O’Connor’s free weekly newsletter Now Hear This for the inside track on all things music

Get our Now Hear This email for free

Dire Straits frontman Mark Knopfler has said it’s unlikely he would ever play as part of the group again.

Knopfler said he wouldn’t play with the band again as he wanted to “expand and work with different players and have a bigger line-up”, despite loving his time on the road.

“The last time I had the band in, and that’s the high point for me, I would probably have had about six or seven guys. Bigger than the little four-piece that was stripped down when we had it, and that was great, I loved it.”

The group, which he formed in 1977 with brother David and friends John Illsley and Pick Withers, found global success with hit singles including “Romeo and Juliet”, “Money for Nothing”, and “Sultans of Swing”, before disbanding in 1995.

Knopfler didn’t have any regrets about his time in the group, saying “I had an absolute ball for as long as it lasted until it got so big that I didn’t know the names of all the roadies, it was just getting big.”

He added: “It got so big, we were actually leapfrogging stages, and that is what you have to do when you get to a certain scale.”

The acclaimed guitarist’s comments came during an appearance on BBC Breakfast. He mentioned one of the reasons for not wanting to perform with the band as having built his own studio, which he “really loves.”

“I haven’t had a bad day in there”, he explained. “It’s given me the chance to really push. I mean, this last album, I have done far too many songs.”

Recently, the musician has collaborated with fellow band member Guy Fletcher as part of a charity single for Teenage Cancer Trust. He assembled more than 60 performers, including Bruce Springsteen, Sir Brian May and Eric Clapton, for a nine-minute recording of “Going Home (Theme From Local Hero)”.

Enjoy unlimited access to 70 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music

Sign up now for a 30-day free trial

Sign up

Enjoy unlimited access to 70 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music

Sign up now for a 30-day free trial

Sign up

The record, released on March 15, also featured contributions from Slash, Sting, Roger Daltrey, and Sir Ringo Starr, and was released under the star’s supergroup, Guitar Heroes.

Knopfler is also working on his latest solo album, One Deep River, which is scheduled for release on April 12.