Sam Fender pulls out of run of European festivals after suffering vocal haemorrhage

Sam Fender has pulled out of a run of European festivals due to a vocal haemorrhage.

• READ MORE: Sam Fender – ‘People Watching’ review: reflective and perceptive indie rock from North Shields’ shining star

The singer shared the news last night (July 4), telling fans that he had his voice checked by an Ears, Nose and Throat (ENT) doctor at the beginning of the week when his vocal cords were “slightly swollen”.

Fender went on to say that “after a few days rest” he was advised by his team that he could continue to perform, but while headlining The Formula 1 British Grand Prix on Thursday (July 3) he “could feel that things were a lot harder than usual”.

“I felt I needed to push a lot harder to sing – this is never a good sign,” he wrote. “I’ve just been checked by my ENT again today, as I was concerned about it, and it’s transpired that I’ve had a haemorrhage on one of my vocal cords.

“This is incredibly frustrating as I have been so careful with my vocal health and this year so far has been the best of my career,” Fender continued. “I’ve been advised to be on vocal restriction and to not sing for the next 14 days. If I were to play at these next shows I would risk causing lasting damage to my vocal cords.”

As a result, the musician has cancelled his upcoming performances at Rock Werchter, Down The Rabbit Hole, NOS Alive, and the Montreux Jazz Festival.

“I’m so sorry to everybody who is coming to those festivals with our show in mind,” he added. “Our fans are the most important thing to us, I hate letting people down and I hate not being able to sing for weeks as it is my only real passion in life.

“I hope that I’m able to make it up to you down the line. Until then I’m gonna work to get this voice fixed. Love from me and the band.”

Sam via Instagram Stories. pic.twitter.com/HydHiltUUo

— Sam Fender Daily (@dailyfender) July 4, 2025

So far this year, Fender has wrapped up a huge UK summer stadium tour, which included three homecoming gigs at St. James’ Park that reportedly boosted the local economy by £16.5million.

The sold-out shows made Fender the first Geordie artist to headline the stadium. They also saw him bring out AC/DC’s Brian Johnson and pay tribute to Bruce Springsteen.

Elsewhere at the Newcastle gigs, Fender brought out his former guitar teacher Phil Martin for a cover of Thin Lizzy’s classic track ‘The Boys Are Back In Town’ – something seen in previous Newcastle shows – and also introduced the Easington Colliery Brass Band for ‘Remember My Name’.

He was also joined on stage by CMAT and Olivia Dean, as well as his brother, Liam.

The shows follow on from Fender playing at the 82,500-capacity London Stadium the week earlier, where he was joined by Dean for a rendition of ‘Rein Me In’ – which they later released an official version of. He also used the show to give a passionate pro-Palestine speech.

In August, Fender will play three big outdoor gigs in Manchester, Edinburgh and Belfast, as well as top the bill at Ireland’s Electric Picnic. Find any remaining tickets for Fender’s UK and Ireland headline dates here.

In a four-star review of his most recent album, ‘People Watching’, NME shared: “Reflective, analytical and vulnerable, ‘People Watching’ does exactly what the title may suggest: takes stock of the characters, friends and loved ones who have made Fender the person he is today. He approaches each track with sensitivity as he looks back on his life so far – perhaps even with an inkling of guilt – and contemplates who he may be next.”

In other news, Fender is currently a favourite to headline Glastonbury 2027.

The post Sam Fender pulls out of run of European festivals after suffering vocal haemorrhage appeared first on NME.