Snow Patrol’s Gary Lightbody had to pause mid-song to recover from a bout of the burps.
The windy ‘Chasing Cars’ hitmaker couldn’t stop belching whilst trying to perform ‘Heal Me’ at a BBC Introducing Live concert at the Limelight in Belfast, which marked the group’s first gig in more than a year and since the departure of drummer Jonny Quinn and bassist Paul Wilson.
Apologising to the crowd, he said: “Sorry, I am full-on burping here. I’m going to need a minute, but we are going to do this song until I get it right.”
The group has vowed to carry on as a trio, with Gary joined by Nathan Connolly and Johnny McDaid.
Paul – who has started a metal project under the name Above As Below – recently touched on the gossip that surrounded the double departure after Jonny’s wife, Mariane, claimed there was a major fallout.
And he suspects it was nothing more than “creative differences” but was peeved that it took precedence over him launching his new venture.
He told Rolling Stone: “After being in this band for 20 years, and then all of a sudden there’s this salacious gossip. It’s like, ugh. This has completely ruined my moment of leaving and doing my own thing.
He added: “I don’t really know what went down, but I’m guessing there were creative differences in the studio; I can’t imagine it was anything too crazy.
“I don’t have any ill feelings towards the guys.”