Animal Collective have cancelled their upcoming UK and European tour, citing economic difficulties.
READ MORE: Brexit is “strangling the next generation of British talent in the cradle” with a returning summer of touring
The band was scheduled to begin their walk in Ireland on November 2, and then continue concerts in Brighton, Bristol, Manchester, Glasgow and London before heading to Europe.
But this evening (October 10), the band issued a lengthy statement in which they confirmed that all tour dates were canceled, and explained the reasons for this. You can view the statement in full below.
“Friends, we are absolutely upset to announce today that we have decided to cancel our concerts in the UK and the EU for November. We love playing music for you and sincerely want to be there.
“It’s been a wild year for us trying to overcome a mountain of touring related to COVID and the economy. Three of us have had severe cases of Covid. We were forced to cancel the show and lost most of the income that supports us and our families. But preparing for this tour, we looked at the economic reality, which simply does not work and is not sustainable.”
They continued: “From inflation to currency devaluation, inflated shipping and transportation costs and much more, we just couldn’t make a budget for this tour that wouldn’t lose money even if everything went as well as it could. We have always been one of those people who stood up in difficult times and took the stage, if our health did not prevent it. We prefer not to risk our mental and physical health because of the economic reality of what this tour would be like. We hope that you understand and know that we would not make such a choice lightly.”
They said they were looking forward to playing abroad again at some point in the future and that all tickets would be refunded at the time of purchase.”
This came after a host of artists, including Santigold, Sam Fender and Lindsey Buckingham, recently canceled their tours for economic reasons as well as mental health and wellness reasons.
Meanwhile, the UK government was recently warned again that musicians and the team “could end up unemployed en masse,” after a hearing in the House of Lords revealed the damage already done by Brexit to those who wish to travel around Europe.
The hearing of representatives of the live music industry in the House of Lords, which was attended by several MPs and lords, but there was not a single representative of the Conservative Party, again became the main obstacle; that work permits created additional bureaucratic red tape for people who were hired from the UK, that books and lack of clear information led to additional costs and confusion, that it was unknown how many goods could be taken and sold, and that 90 of the 180-day access rule had terrible consequences, and many artists and film crew either they were not hired, or they were sent home from the tour.
Last year, the British music industry spoke together about how they, in fact, got a “no deal Brexit” when the government could not agree on visa-free entry and work permits across Europe for musicians and the team. As a result, artists trying to hit the road again after COVID found themselves on a predicted “rocky road” during the first summer of the European tour after the UK left the EU, finding that the complications of Brexit are “stifling the next generation of British talent. in the cradle.”
