diff --git a/geoarray/baseclasses.py b/geoarray/baseclasses.py
index ba8f7c03e05f658d6124e1df0e31fa245bf77f4c..6d414beb0ef09c4d9059cf88b037ef1c140b033d 100644
--- a/geoarray/baseclasses.py
+++ b/geoarray/baseclasses.py
@@ -775,7 +775,12 @@ class GeoArray(object):
             else:
                 self._metadata = GDAL_Metadata(filePath=self.filePath)
 
-            del ds
+            # copy over the band names
+            if 'band_names' in self.metadata.band_meta and self.metadata.band_meta['band_names']:
+                self.bandnames = self.metadata.band_meta['band_names']
+
+            # noinspection PyUnusedLocal
+            ds = None
 
         self._gdalDataset_meta_already_set = True
 
diff --git a/geoarray/version.py b/geoarray/version.py
index 375271504ff902ff6842d8ac8318ac7d22db5fa5..6c9ebdb56633730772bd50ca85c49a46e2f45db7 100644
--- a/geoarray/version.py
+++ b/geoarray/version.py
@@ -20,5 +20,5 @@
 # with this program.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
 
 
-__version__ = '0.8.23'
-__versionalias__ = '20191004.01'
+__version__ = '0.8.24'
+__versionalias__ = '20191010.01'
diff --git a/tests/test_metadata.py b/tests/test_metadata.py
index 7c650095760a28c8924e99135a30de460dc76206..e44c90f0d5c591bab2eb17effded210241db1371 100644
--- a/tests/test_metadata.py
+++ b/tests/test_metadata.py
@@ -63,6 +63,17 @@ class Test_GDAL_Metadata(TestCase):
         for bN in gA.bandnames.keys():
             self.assertTrue(bN in content, msg="The band name '%s' is not in the written header." % bN)
 
+    def test_read_bandnames(self):
+        outPath = os.path.join(self.tmpOutdir.name, 'read_bandnames_correctly.bsq')
+        bandnames = ['test1', 'band_2', 'layer 3']
+
+        gA = GeoArray(np.random.randint(1, 10, (5, 5, 3)))
+        gA.bandnames = bandnames
+        gA.save(outPath)
+
+        gA = GeoArray(outPath)
+        self.assertEqual(list(gA.bandnames.keys()), bandnames)
+
     def test_save_bandnames(self):
         outPath = os.path.join(self.tmpOutdir.name, 'save_bandnames_from_numpy.bsq')