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Lewis Capaldi cancels gigs to ‘rest and recover’ with loved ones after ‘struggling’

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 5th June 2023

Lewis Capaldi has said in an emotional statement that he will be cancelling all of his upcoming commitments until his Glastonbury appearance.

The Scottish singer-songwriter said that he had been ‘struggling’ with the whirlwind promo tour for his newest album, Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent.

He said that the last few months had been ‘full on both mentally and physically’ and he needed to take some time to rest and recover at home in Glasgow with his friends and family.

The apologetic message shared on social media apologised to fans who had already spent money on hotels and travel for the affected shows, which included an intimate gig in Leeds tonight, The Hoot reports.

Lewis, who is almost as well-known for his brilliant sense of humour as for his chart-topping music, announced that he wanted to be at his best for Glastonbury.

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It means he has pulled out of his incredibly intimate show at The Wardrobe in Leeds, which was due to take place on Tuesday 6 June 2023.

Only ticket-holders for Reading & Leeds Festival, of which Lewis is a headliner, had access to tickets for the exclusive show this week.

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Taking to Instagram, Lewis wrote: “Hi everyone, hope you’re well. This is a really difficult message, and one that hurts me a lot to have to type, but I’m really sorry to say that I’m going to have to cancel all commitments from now until I play Glastonbury on June 24th.

“It’s been such an incredible time leading into this new album, and seeing all of the support from everyone has been beyond anything I could have ever dreamed of. That said, the last few months have been full on both mentally and physically, I haven’t been home properly since Christmas and at the moment I’m struggling to get to grips with it all.

“I need to take a moment to rest and recover, to be at my best and ready for Glastonbury and all of the other incredible shows coming up so that I’m able to continue doing what I love for a long time to come. I need to take these three weeks to be Lewis from Glasgow for a bit, spend some time with my family and friends and do normal life things that are an important part of me feeling better. I hope everyone understands.

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“I know many of you will have spent money on travel or hotels, which I appreciate more than ever with how difficult things are economically at the moment, so I’m extremely sorry for the impact this will have. The fact you’re willing to come out and spend your time, money and love on these shows is beyond comprehension and I feel incredibly lucky.

“I’m getting all the help and support I need from the incredible people around me who I’m so grateful for.

“I take none of this for granted and can’t wait to be back doing it again. All my love Lewis x”

Featured image: Alexandra Gavillet

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Co-op Live announce unreal trio of gigs as debut calendar hots up even more

Danny Jones Danny Jones Co-op Live gig calendar Manchester

Music fans, strap in because Co-op Live has just confirmed a frankly ridiculous trio of gigs, and all in the space of a few hours as their first year of events only gets tastier.

The brand-new music and entertainment venue, the biggest indoor facility of its kind anywhere in Europe, only opened back in April and has already attracted some ridiculous names but they’re not slowing down with the announcements. Not even one bit.

After barely taking a beat between welcoming the Eagles, Liam Gallagher, Smashing Pumpkins and The Killers just to name a few, Co-op Live has revealed that iconic 80s singer Cyndi Lauper would be coming to the arena early next year.

Then, before even getting the chance to catch our breath, they followed that up by revealing that hip-hop and R’n’B legends Lauryn Hill and The Fugees will be arriving in just a few months, along with rock and pop-punk veterans Sum 41 just a couple of later.

Insanity.

To make things even more special, not only will it be Cyndi Lauper’s farewell tour following a career spanning nearly 50 years but these will also mark Sum 41’s final ever shows after confirming their split ahead of their new album.

And there’s The Fugees – an equally legendary trio in their own right – who they have decided to extend their current ‘Miseducation Anniversary Tour’. It’s music Christmas all come at once.

It feels like we get a whole of new acts announced for Co-op Live pretty much every week but it’s so rare you get a run of gigs dropped on you pretty much in go. The atmosphere in the immensely impressive space hasn’t disappointed even once just yet either.

Exhibit A:

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Although you’ll have to wait until 9 February next year to scream your heads off to ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’ at the top of your lungs, Lauryn Hill and The Fugees arrive in Manchester on 12 October, while Sum 21 says their goodbyes just over a fortnight later on 28 October.

Presale tickets for all three events go live to Co-op members at 10am on Wednesday, 26 June and general admission will follow at the same time on Friday, 28 June.

At least in Lauper and Sum 41’s case, this is your last chance to see them live in Manchester, so don’t sleep on lining up for tickets in the morning.

You can book yours via Co-op Live’s events page HERE.

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Press Images

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Troye Sivan at AO Arena, Manchester – a celebration of self-expression

The Manc Audio The Manc Audio

In the seven years since Troye Sivan’s sexual awakening on 2018’s semi-explicit ‘Bloom’, the Australian has emerged as a sex-positive powerhouse.

He’s been soundtracking queer nightclubs across the globe with the dancefloor-ready earworm ‘Rush’ – the lead single from his third studio album ‘Something To Give Each Other’, itself a further step into self-embrace and expressionism and one that has seen Troye embark on a global tour endlessly spilling out online videos of brilliantly sexy and sultry dance routines and on-stage playfulness.

His Manchester outing at the AO Arena is no different, oozing with sensual choreography that wouldn’t be out of place on the Magic Mike Live stage, yet set to make those with a more reserved outlook blush.

But that’s largely the point here, the third step in a chronological journey that carefully treads from the self-questioning of ‘Heaven’ on his 2015 debut ‘Blue Neighbourhoods’ through to his unapologetic onstage gyrating, a symbol of his self-acceptance.

Anybody uncomfortable in tonight’s crowd is undoubtedly at the wrong show, an open celebration of all-round gayness and its culture.

It’s inherent in everything he says, informing the crowd that he made a b-line direct to Manchester’s iconic Canal Street the night before, and tantalisingly hinting that he may do the same after the show, before immodestly suggesting that this may cause some type of stampede.

Perhaps it’s the reason why the show both starts and ends unusually early, and why at just 17 songs, it’s one of the shorter headline sets an arena is used to.

It’s also telling that Troye doesn’t go further back than ‘Bloom’, with the title track, the anthemic ‘My My My!’ and the Ariana Grande-featuring ‘Dance To This’ just about making the cut.

The song choices are in-keeping with the mood of the evening, more mature and more adult than anything off his debut, or ‘Bloom’s retrospective numbers that failed to make the setlist.

Tonight is evidently an acknowledgement of lust, love and sex; a call to live in the moment and not to look back, and a hedonistic masterclass.

With that, each set piece is brilliantly positioned, the performance split into six acts each broken with Troye running off stage for an outfit change or for structures to be seamlessly assembled or disassembled.

Fan favourite ‘One Of Your Girls’ sees him don a lacey corset as he shares an intimate lap dance with one of his dancers, while the sultry ‘STUD’ glides like silk both in its vocal and on-stage performance.

But the biggest reaction is saved for the Charli XCX featuring (although sadly not on stage) ‘1999’, which rounds out the main set with a party befitting its lyrics, and gay anthem ‘Rush’ – complete with full dance routine and mesmerising light show to bring the decadent thrill ride to a close.

As Pride Month draws to a close, and with Salford’s Pink Picnic acting as the show’s pre-party for many, Troye Sivan delivers easily one of the biggest and most freeing celebrations of queerness Greater Manchester has to offer – via Perth, Australia, of course.

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Featured image: Stuart Winecoff

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