Skip to content

The Fratellis cancel 20th anniversary tour due to singer's illness

News imagePA Media Three men stand side by side smiling at the camera. Mince Fratelli, a bald man with a tattooed neck wearing a black t-shirt, is on the far left. Jon Fratelli is in the centre and wears a brown hat, black sunglasses and a dark suit with earphones dangling on his chest. On the right is Barry Fratelli who has brown hair and a ginger beard and wears a dark jacket with his arms crossed across his chest.PA Media
Known by the pseudonyms Mince Fratelli, Jon Fratelli and Barry Fratelli, the band was due to mark 20 years since their debut album

Scottish rock band The Fratellis have cancelled their upcoming anniversary tour due to illness.

A statement said lead singer Jon Fratelli was unable to perform because of "ongoing health issues" and he had been advised to take time to recover.

Known for their hits Chelsea Dagger and Whistle for the Choir, the Glasgow band said the tour would be rescheduled with new dates to be announced soon and tickets would remain valid, with summer shows including the TRNSMT festival due to go ahead as planned.

They had sold out 15 of their 17 shows around the UK throughout February, including two final dates at the O2 Academy in Glasgow.

The Costello Music 20th anniversary tour was planned to celebrate two decades since the release of their debut album of the same name.

The statement said that when the band formed in the early 2000s, it had been faced with a "far more serious medical obstacle that should have ended our dream there and then".

It said they "point blank refused to accept that we couldn't do what we'd set out to do".

They added: "With a wee bit of time we'll now do 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.

"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."

The Fratellis are set to play at Glasgow's TRNSMT festival in June.

Costello Music was released in 2006 and peaked at number two on the UK albums chart.

The band toured the record internationally and won the 2007 Brit Award for Best British Breakthrough Act.