Why did Sam Fender cancel his European festival shows? Reason explained

Sam Fender has canceled multiple performances across Europe this summer, after suffering a vocal cord haemorrhage. It has "forced" him into two weeks of complete vocal rest.

The British singer-songwriter announced on July 4, 2025. He explained that he initially continued to perform with mild vocal swelling. However, the condition worsened after his recent headline set at the British Grand Prix in Silverstone.

This news has come as a disappointment to fans who expected to see him headline festivals such as Rock Werchter, Down The Rabbit Hole, NOS Alive, and the Montreux Jazz Festival. Notably, Sam Fender's ongoing battle with vocal health has disrupted past tours as well.

Sam Fender's complete statement regarding the European festival shows cancellation

In an official social media post, the 31-year-old singer detailed how he first noticed swelling in his vocal cords earlier in the week. His complete statement is as follows:

"Message from Sam. Hey everyone, at the beginning of the week I got my voice checked by my ENT Doctor and the cords were slightly swollen. After a few days rest I was advised by my team that I was okay to perform. On stage at silverstone I 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. I have 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."

Sam Fender also added:

"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. 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. This means I cannot perform at the upcoming Rock Werchter, Down The Rabbit Hole, NOS Alive, and Montreux Jazz Festivals."

He concluded the statement, saying:

"I'm so sorry to everybody who is coming to those festivals with our show in mind. 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.x"

Festivals affected

As a result of this injury, Sam Fender has officially withdrawn from the following European festival appearances:

Canceled shows

• Friday, July 5, 2025 – Rock Werchter, Belgium
• Saturday, July 6, 2025 – Down The Rabbit Hole, Netherlands
• Wednesday, July 10, 2025 – NOS Alive, Portugal
• Saturday, July 13, 2025 – Montreux Jazz Festival, Switzerland

Rock Werchter Festival organizers acted quickly to replace Sam Fender's slots. Yungblud is now set to step in as a last-minute headliner for 2025Rock Werchter. Nothing But Thieves was also added to that lineup.

Fans can keep an eye on the official Sam Fender pages for more updates.

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