Mumford & Sons’ extended hiatus has had fans wondering if the group’s demise is close at hand, and the band have been having a bit too much fun with that. Mumfords banjoist Winston Marshall caused a slight panic when he told Vulture that the band was, indeed, finished for good.

“I wish I had something to say about Mumford & Sons. It was a good time,” Marshall said at the premiere of the documentary Mistaken For Strangers in London. In an outburst that perhaps should have indicated that Marshall was joking, the banjoist declared that Mumford & Sons had killed his instrument. “I think ‘killed’ is an understatement. We murdered it,” Marshall said, adding, “I fucking hate the banjo.”

A publicist for the band has cleared things up, telling Consequence Of Sound that Marshall was joking and that the band has every intent of getting back together after the hiatus. However, singer Marcus Mumford has a habit of saying “yes” when asked if the band is breaking up, so expect to hear about another scare like this again.