Lead singer of Liverpool band The Night Cafe dies aged 26

Sean Martin had revealed he was undergoing surgery in 2022

Tributes are being paid to the lead singer of an indie band who has died.

Sean Martin from The Night Cafe has died suddenly, aged 26, the Liverpool band has announced in an Instagram post.

The group said they were "devastated" by the death of their band mate and "childhood best friend".

Indie rock band, The Wombats, who The Night Cafe toured with, said Martin was "literally the nicest, most lovely guy to have around on tour".

In April last year, he had revealed he had been struggling with his health and would be having some surgery.

Martin was a member of The Night Cafe with Josh Higgins, Arran O'Connell Whittle and Carl Dillon, which formed in 2014 when they were still at school.

The band said: "We are devastated to share the sudden passing of our best friend Sean.

"Words can't describe the pain we are feeling right now, we're still struggling to process it all."

'Amazing talent'

They added: "Sean was not just our bandmate, he was our childhood best friend that we shared so many memories with before the band even started.

"We made so many more memories along the way and achieved things we only dreamt of that we will cherish forever."

Dillon shared a series of photos and posted a string of broken heart emojis, writing "Love you so much Sean".

The Wombats commented: "So sorry to hear this guys, he was literally the nicest, most lovely guy to have around on tour.

"Not to mention how talented and amazing he was.

"Our thoughts are with you all and Sean's closest. Lots of love and fond memories, The Bats x"

In April 2022, Martin revealed he had been struggling with his health and would be having surgery, prompting the band to pull out of some shows with The Wombats.

He wrote at the time: "Thankfully though I've recently had a diagnosis which explains what's been going on, but unfortunately it means I need to go into surgery next week (on my birthday)."

He said the band were "wounded" by the cancellation but added they were "excited to finally be able to move forward properly with nothing in our way".

The Night Cafe released their debut EP Get Away From The Feeling in 2017 and their debut album, 0151, was released in 2019.

The band said Martin's memory would "live on forever in our hearts and through the music he put out into the world for you all".