Sam Fender scrapped his concert in Glasgow last night and, in what’s sure to be a personal blow, has been forced to cancel what would have been a triumphant Newcastle homecoming gig just before Christmas, on 20 December.
The cancellations come after Fender has had a bout of the flu which he had been struggling through, but which has now escalated into a haemorrhaged right vocal cord. Acting on the advice of two doctors he took to social media to let his Glasgow fans know that he wouldn’t be able to play that night with just a few hours before curtain up.
“This has been the best tour so far and all I want to do is get up and sing again for you all tonight. I’ve had two separate ENT [ear, nose and throat] doctors say if I perform tonight I’m risking lasting damage to my voice and I have been advised to be on vocal rest and not use my voice for a prolonged length of time until it heals.
“I’m so, so sorry to all of you who are on your way tonight. We’re trying to figure out a way to reschedule for you all, more news soon. X”
Fender has previously taken ill and been forced to cancel gigs. His US tour in September 2022 was cut short due to his ongoing mental health issues. Speaking at the time he said: “It seems completely hypocritical of me to advocate discussion on mental health and write songs about it if I don’t take the time to look after my own mental health. I’ve neglected myself for over a year now and haven’t dealt with things that have deeply affected me.
“It’s impossible to do this work on myself while on the road, and it’s exhausting feigning happiness and wellness for the sake of business.”
Writing on Instagram yesterday Fender gave some background as to his latest letdown: “As most of you know I’ve had the flu for a few days now. Regardless of how compromised my voice was I did everything I could to get it in working order last night to put on the best show possible.
"Today I’ve had an ENT scope/camera down my throat and sadly I’ve haemorrhaged my right vocal cord. I’m absolutely heartbroken.
“I’ve done everything by the book this tour, living like a monk, it’s so unlucky.”
Fender's People Watching tour is now currently scheduled to resume on 6 June, in London, giving the star hopefully time to recover. The gig is then followed by five gigs at Newcastle Saint James’ Park – home to Newcastle United. At the time of writing there’s no news regarding a rescheduled Glasgow gig.
