One of Bristol's most famous bands has cancelled live shows scheduled for the next few months after revealing one of their members has been dealing with a serious illness.
Massive Attack said they won't be able to fulfil the 18 live shows they had booked around Europe during May, June and July this year, and said they 'deeply regret' the inconvenience or disappointment this causes.
In a statement to fans, Massive Attack didn't go into details of which member of the group has been ill, or what the illness is, but there is good news - the band said they are now in recovery.
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The band most recently played gigs in Bristol at the Downs Festival and as a showcase at the venue of the soon-to-be created Arena at Filton Airfield before the Covid pandemic, and were only just getting back to playing live since the lifting of coronavirus restrictions.
But the festivals and gigs Massive Attack had scheduled until the end of July are now either postponed or cancelled, because of the ill-health within the group.
The statement thanked fans for their patience and support. It read: "For the past few months, a member of Massive Attack has been contending with a serious illness. We're pleased to say that they are now in recovery. This process is positive but also challenging and ongoing, which unfortunately means that Massive Attack are not presently in a position to fulfil our live shows scheduled for May, June and July 2022."
As part of a big 18-date European tour scheduled for this summer, Massive Attack were due to play a series of gigs across the continent beginning at the end of May and running through June into July. That tour was due to kick off in Brussels on May 29, then take in Lille, five nights in Paris at the start of June, two festival gigs in Barcelona, before moving on to Oslo, Rome, Milan, Trieste, Prague and Dusseldorf in the rest of June and Nimes at the beginning of July.
"The band deeply regret any inconvenience or disappointment caused - particularly to the fans with whom it's always an honour to engage, and to our production crew who, owing to other global events, have already had to wait so long to do what they do so well," they added.
"We thank you for your patience and support. Back soon, MA," the statement ended.
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