Sam Fender has been forced to cancel his remaining tour dates for 2024 after “haemorrhaging his right vocal cord”.
The injury comes as the singer, songwriter and guitarist has been embarking on a UK and Ireland tour throughout this month. It kicked off on December 2, and saw £1 from every ticket sold donated to Music Venue Trust, in a bid to provide support for grassroots venues.
Now, following the first of his two scheduled nights at Glasgow’s OVO Hydro Arena being held last night (December 16), Fender has taken to social media to confirm that the remainder of 2024 dates have been called off. This includes a second night in Glasgow tonight (17) and a show at Newcastle’s Utilita Arena on Friday (20).
“Glasgow and Newcastle, 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,” he began in a statement shared on X/Twitter.
“Today I’ve had an ENT scope/camera down my throat and sadly I’ve haemorrhaged my right vocal cord, I’m absolutely heartbroken. This has been the best tour so far and all I want to do is get up and sing again for you all tonight,” he added. “I’ve had two separate ENT doctors say if I perform tonight l’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.”
— Sam Fender (@samfendermusic) December 17, 2024
He continued, sharing the effort he made to make the tour go seamlessly – including avoiding alcohol to protect his voice. “I’ve done everything by the book this tour living like a monk, it’s so unlucky,” he wrote. “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.”
At the time of writing, rescheduled dates for Glasgow and Newcastle have yet to be confirmed, and the run of UK and European shows planned for 2025 are set to take place as usual.
All dates come in celebration of Fender’s highly-anticipated third album ‘People Watching’, which is set to be shared on February 21 via Polydor (pre-order/pre-save here). The record was produced by Fender alongside his bandmates Dean Thompson and Joe Atkinson, producer Markus Dravs and The War On Drugs’ Adam Granduciel.
The singer first hinted he had been working with the latter back in March, sharing footage of them in the studio together alongside producers, engineers and other musicians. Then, in October Fender confirmed that the new album was finished and “mastered”. It will be his first LP since 2021’s sophomore album ‘Seventeen Going Under’.
After previewing the album in November with the title track ‘People Watching‘, the singer-songwriter also went on to announce details of some huge UK stadium shows for next summer.
Kicking off with his biggest-ever headline show at London Stadium on June 6, Fender will also play Newcastle’s St. James’ Park on June 12, 14 and 15. For the latter, the musician played that same 52,000-capacity venue in his hometown back in 2023, and the 2025 booking sees Fender break the record for most headline shows at St James’ Park – an honour previously held by The Rolling Stones.
You can find a full list of 2025 tour dates here, and visit here for remaining tickets to all of next year’s shows.
In a four-star review of Fender’s concert in Leeds at the start of the month, NME wrote: “There’s no radical shake-up of the setlist, but rather a sense of self-confidence to double down on a reliable approach that’s served him well.
“While tonight affirms that ‘People Watching’ material will have to fight for its place, a successful balance of old and new could hoist Sam Fender’s career to unprecedented heights. Glastonbury, anyone?”