Catfish and the Bottlemen cancel US and Australia tour for “medical reasons”
Hours before the first date of their Australian tour was due to start in Sydney, Catfish and the Bottlemen appear to have cancelled the entirety of the US and Australia legs of their ongoing world tour. Without a statement from the band, fans have been notified of the cancellation through ticketing platforms.
This news comes only days after the band cancelled their show in Dublin on August 31st at RDS Simmonscourt. A mere 15 minutes before the doors were due to open, the promoters of the show issued a statement on behalf of the band to reveal that the event was “cancelled due to artist illness.” With no rearranged date in place, tickets were refunded to disappointed fans.
This tour is part of the band’s comeback. In 2023, the band announced their return when it was revealed that they would be headlining the 2024 addition of Reading and Leeds. Their huge summer shows ended a three year long hiatus and was accompanied by the release of a new single, ‘Showtime’, which was their first new music in five years. Earlier this summer, they also played the biggest headline show of their career at Sefton Park in Liverpool.
It appeared that all systems were working to bring back Catfish as one of the biggest indie bands of the modern age. After storming to success from 2014 with hits like ‘Kathleen’, ‘Coccoon’ and ‘Homesick’, they led the pack of a new wave of indie acts. In 2016, they won the Brit Award for ‘British Breakthrough Act’ and quickly moved onto bigger stages and headline slots. However, with three albums under their belt, the group suddenly disappeared without any fanfare at the end of 2021.
Therefore, when they announced their new single, festival headline slot and tickets went on sale for a tour, excitement was generated in its spades. Ten years on from the release of their debut album, The Balcony, Catfish appeared to be back and raring to go.
After the cancellation of the Dublin show, now the dates in North America and Australia are cancelled too. The band are yet to issue a statement, but fans have received notifications from whatever ticketing platform they purchased from. The Australia tour was due to begin on September 4th in Sydney with the cancellation coming hours before the doors were set to open.
In Australia, the tour’s ticketing partner, Moshtix, put out a message saying that the shows were cancelled due to illness but added that the band “were really looking forward to the shows”.
With mentions that “doctor’s orders” have forced them to cancelled the shows, there is no word on if or how serious the illness in the band may be to prompt cancellations months in advance. The US leg of the tour wasn’t supposed to take place until October and November, but has already been called off as fans receive notifications and refunds.
As it stands, Catfish and the Bottlemen are still set to perform two huge stadium shows next summer at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.
Far Out has reached out to Catfish and the Bottlemen’s publicist for comment.
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