Lewis Capaldi: singer cancels Fife gigs to ‘adjust to impact’ of Tourette’s

The Scottish singer made the announcement as he put all gigs on hold for the foreseeable future. It came after he struggled while on the Pyramid stage at Glastonbury Festival at the weekend. As his voice went, the 100,000 strong crowd took over in a moving show of support.

Capaldi had rested for several weeks ahead of his big festival appearance, but he said the performance made it “obvious that I need to spend much more time getting my mental and physical health in order, so I can keep doing everything I love for a long time to come.”

Capaldi was due to give two shows at the Alhambra in Dunfermline on August 17 as part of a low key Scottish tour. Both were to feature Q&As and both sold out within minutes of being announced.

The Bathgate singer has won widespread praise for being so open about his mental health struggles, and coming to terms with a diagnosis of Tourette’s which has resulted in painful tics which were evident throughout his performance at Glastonbury.

In a social media post, he wrote: “The fact that this probably won’t come as a surprise doesn’t make it any easier to write, but I’m very sorry to let you know I’m going to be taking a break from touring for the foreseeable future. I used to be able to enjoy every second of shows like this and I’d hoped three weeks away would sort me out.

"But the truth is I’m still learning to adjust to the impact of my Tourette’s, and on Saturday it became obvious that I need to spend much more time getting my mental and physical health in order, so I can keep doing everything I love for a long time to come”Capaldi continued: “I know I’m incredibly fortunate to be able to take some time out when others can’t, and I’d like to thank my amazing family, friends, team, medical professionals and all of you who’ve been so supportive every step of the way through good times and even more so during the past year when I’ve needed it more than ever. I’m so incredibly sorry to everyone who had planned to come to a show before the end of the year, but I need to feel well to perform at the standard you all deserve. Playing for you every night is all I’ve ever dreamed of so this has been the most difficult decision of my life. I’ll be back as soon as I possibly can.”

The Alhambra has advised ticket holders to contact their provider for refunds.