Gang of Youths Cancel Remaining North American Tour Dates Due to "Ongoing Health Issues"

"Over the coming months, our team and the band will be working on ways to make touring more sustainable and manageable"

Photo: Bruce Baker

BY Megan LaPierrePublished Aug 31, 2022

Australian rockers Gang of Youths have announced the cancellation of the remainder of their tour dates for 2022, with bandleader Dave Le'aupepe citing "ongoing health issues."

The band were due to play 10 additional North American dates in support of new album angel in realtime. next month, including a show at Vancouver's Rickshaw Theatre on September 23.

Le'aupepe took to Twitter today to share the news, writing:

hey everyone

dave here. i'm so sorry to say, i bear tough news.

due to some ongoing health issues, i've had to make the difficult decision to cancel the upcoming north american tour dates.

in the words of warren zevon, my shit's fucked up, and i need to take some time off to address these concerns before we pick back up again. i'm so sorry to everybody who is disappointed by this. a lot of the inner shit i feel has a lot to do with letting people down and i'm feeling that more than ever at this point.

it's fucken damn near unacceptable for me to attempt to play shows in a way that isn't to the absolute best of my ability. unfortunately at present, these issues are preventing me from doing my job to the standard you all deserve. over the coming months, our team and the band will be working on ways to make touring more sustainable and manageable in a way that works for us to avoid having to cancel anymore shows.

similarly, it's been a long year or so for the other fellas and me. marriages, young children, personal stuff has to take some priority, and i feel like the next couple of months off are sorely needed for everybody. as for me, i'm getting to the point where the stress of travel, illness, and feeling constantly hampered by injuries and physical shit sustained on the road is taking a significant toll on my wellbeing overall.

basically, and without bullshitting out, i'm also just absolutely fucking knackered and not feeling great, and need some time to be a normal bloke again. i want to keep doing this job as long as humanly possible. however, for that to be the case, i need to unfuck my shit and get my body, voice, and mind in better working order.

once again, i'm so sorry for disappointing you all. i'm looking forward to getting back out there in mint condish.

lastly, a massive extra apology in particular to our friends in vancouver, denver, and aotearoa, who've had to deal with a few cancelations due to issues like this before. we're gonna do our best to get over there soon.

look after each other,

dl​


See the full statement below.
 
 
Faye Webster recently cancelled her Vancouver show, expressing similar feelings of burnout, while Shawn Mendes cleared his touring obligations until July 2023 to continue prioritizing his mental health.

Latest Coverage