There would appear to be 6 artists listened to by Last.fm users by the name of Absent:

1) The first is an Punk/Indie outfit hailing from Peterborough, England formed in the summer of 1999:

Guitarist Darren Leeder and drummer Barry Walker started with a clear vision of starting a band to take over the world. Joined by close friends John Leader and Grant Mortimore over the next year they began crafting some great songs together...the 6 years that followed would be a gauntlet of personal tragedies and triumphs for each of them and the band would be their unifying force....

...playing a mix of Pop, Rock, Punk, Funk and Psychedelia they soon forged an eclectic range of music across their 2 Eps and 2 Albums. From the innocent, naive pop of first EP 'Here We Aren't' to the darker edges of LP 'Wasted Graffiti', the band have tried their hand at a diverse range. However, 2005 track 'That August Feeling' finally brought everything full circle and epitomises everything the band does best: catchy hooks, beautiful intertwined psychedelic guitars, energetic punk refrains and thought-provoking meaningful lyrics.

Absent took a break, starting January 2006, to focus on other projects and to allow life to flow back into the band. After 6 years of hard graft and set-backs it was all becoming too much.

Since the break, Darren has focused attentions on his side-project The Waheys!, with his old school friend Dan Bonham. Barry has started the band End of Part One (lead singer) as an outlet for his more edgy and fragile songs, with Grant joining him on bass. Johno is enjoying a new life in Ireland, where he has concentrated on his solo projects - with their more complex arrangements and heavier sound.

In the meantime, Absent have been re-releasing their back catalogue worldwide on their own label Here We Aren't and through San Francisco, CA-based label Serwin Music Group. First of these was split-single 'That August Feeling'/'My Twisted Wonderland' and more recently the LP 'Wasted Graffiti'. A re-release of the band's 2nd album 'At Your Convenience' is scheduled for release, through H.W.A., March 2nd 2009.

2) There is also another UK-based band named Absent from Cornwall, UK. Formed in late 2005 the band has had at least one line-up change since creation, with now being composed of Wiggy (Guitars/vocals), Jamie (Guitar), Gary (Bass) and Paul (Drums/Backing Vox).

They have released one EP, 'Mixtape' and their first full-length 'Storm Roles In' was released through the label D67 Records.

3) Absent is also a Death Metal band from Poland. They have full lenght titled "Audi.. Vide.. Sile" out (2005).

4) There is a Swedish Metal band by the same name, formed in 2001.

5) Absent is also a French experimental electronic band made up of Yannick Donet and Frédéric Bailly. They are on the Guerilla Underground label

6) Absent. Hip Hop artist from the Twin Cities(Minneapolis/St.Paul), MN.

7) Absent is also one of a few stage names of Austin Amberg of Hydrogen Party from Fremont, CA. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.