Sam Fender 'gutted' to cancel the rest of his UK tour

Sam Fender says he's gutted to cancel the rest of his 2019 tour because he has laryngitis.

The singer was due to play at the O2 Academy Brixton on Wednesday night, but posted on Instagram that he was unable to continue.

"Absolute nightmare," he said. " If I carry on I could haemorrhage my cords which would mean being out for months."

He had been due to play at venues across the UK throughout December.

"I'm so sorry but I cannot carry on with the tour, we're gonna figure out rescheduling info in the next few days," he added.

"I've had the best year of my life, I'm absolutely gutted that I have to stop, but I can't bust my voice if I want to keep going.

"Love you all and again so sorry."

Just ahead of Sam's video, the London venue and Communion Music announced the cancellation on Twitter.

Many fans who were already in London for the gig were disappointed.

Earlier in the year Radio 1 Newsbeat spoke to Sam at TRNSMT festival in Glasgow about so-called burnout after he completed a run of three shows in as many days.

"I did a hometown gig in Newcastle, then played with Bob Dylan and Neil Young in London and then came here," he said.

"I'm dead."

Sam said he was "perpetually terrified" of not being able to keep up with his schedule.

"The music industry as a whole needs to genuinely make a conscious effort to look after people's physical and mental health."

Sam was forced to cancel a string of gigs, including a show at Glastonbury, after he "burned out".

"We just didn't stop. I love my job, I'm going to keep doing it until I die, but there's nothing more soul-destroying than having to cancel a show."

Back then, Sam said he would be making his schedule "a little less intense," but it doesn't seem to have worked.

Musicians burning out "is an age old story", Sam says, but social media and feeling like "you have to be on top all the time" adds extra pressure on the mental health of modern artists.

"Back in the day, you could have a crap gig and nobody would film you.

"Now everybody's got an iPhone - you have a bad day and it's going on the internet."

The 25-year-old says it's easy to become vain as a musician.

"It's so vacuous this job.

"You're constantly looking at pictures of yourself, talking about yourself. Then I come back home and all my mates want to talk about is me because I've been hanging out with Elton John and stuff."

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