The Fratellis have vowed to “get back onstage as quickly as possible” after cancelling their tour.
The band had been due to hit the road this week for a series of show celebrating 20 years since the release of their 2006 debut album Costello Music, but they pulled the plug on the dates with just days to go due to frontman Jon Fratelli ‘s “ongoing health issues”.
However, the rockers are hoping to bounce back very soon. A statement posted on Instagram explained: “We are really sad to announce that our Costello Music 20th anniversary tour has been postponed.
“Unfortunately, Jon is unable to perform right now due to ongoing health issues. With the tour so close, it breaks our musical hearts to take this decision but in light of medical advice that Jon takes time to recover it’s the only sensible option.”
The band went on to point out they previously faced another serious medical issue which almost ended their music career but they “refused to accept” defeat.
The statement added: “Not long after The Fratellis were born (end of 2004/beginning of 2005 depending on who you argue with) we were faced with a far more serious medical obstacle that should have ended our dream there and then.
“The thing is we just point blank f***ing refused to accept that we couldn’t do what we’d set out to do. Taking no for an answer was no answer at all. We had stuff to do. We were going where we were going. End of.
“With a wee bit of time we’ll do now what we did then … whatever it takes to get back onstage as quickly as possible, playing music for anyone who loves our thing as much as we do.”
The band explained that they still intend to play their scheduled festival dates over the summer and hope to have the tour rescheduled soon.
The message added: “We were blown away by the reaction to this tour and can only promise that we are as disappointed as you at having to wait a little longer to celebrate Costello Music’s 20th Birthday.
“We’ll do everything possible to announce the new dates ASAP. With the postponement of the tour we’re even more excited at the prospect of seeing many of you at our summer festival dates … they really can’t come quickly enough.”
The postponed dates include shows in London, Nottingham, Bristol, Newcastle, Cardiff, Norwich, Lincoln, Liverpool, Manchester, Wolverhampton, Portsmouth, Southend and Leeds.