Blues-Ska legend Neville Staple and his band have announced that due to personal circumstances, they have had to  cancel their Australian tour which was due to kick off March 26th at Melbourne’s Northcote Social Club.

The legendary founding member of  The Specials was set to play to his devout legion of Aussie audiences on a four-date tour of the country.  Staple was previously in the country for Bluesfest 2010, where he wowed audiences with his high-energy music and vivid-as-ever stage presence.

Unfortunately though, Staple wont be able to repeat his stellar stage show for Australian audiences this year with health ssues being the cause of the nixing of the tour.

Staple’s manager Warren Middleton also released a statement stating that the cancellation is due to “medical stipulations imposed by Neville Staple’s doctor, which will restrict Neville being able to fly to Australia.”

He adds, “we apologise to any fans that have booked or were about to book tickets for our shows but this situation is beyond our control.

The band and Neville thank Fran Daly and Troubadour Music for their support and organisation of the tour and hope they will be able to assist us in arranging an alternative tour, at some point in the future.”

Aside from the obvious disappointment fans are facing, the touring company who were bringing Staple out, the aforementioned and thanked Troubadour Music, have revealed that due to their small size and resources, the cancellation of this tour has hit them extremely hard.

“Neville Staple’s management have informed us that Neville and his band are unable to fulfill their Australian tour commitments due to personal circumstances. This has come as a huge shock to us. For this to happen to a boutique tour company like us is a hard hit and affects us greatly. We apologize to anyone who has purchased tickets and to all those who were working with us on the show. Full refunds will be available from the venues, so please contact them to arrange this. Again our sincere apologies.” – Fran Daly, Troubadour Music

The Sydney-based company has been around since 2005 and has toured the likes of  Dan Sultan, Damian Dempsey, and Mike King, though its focus still continues to be first and foremost on traditional Irish music.

All of the following shows have been cancelled with refunds available from point of purchase.

Neville Staple 2013 Australian Tour

Tuesday 26 March
Northcote Social Club, Melbourne

Wednesday 27 March
The Zoo, Brisbane

Friday 29 March
Notes Live, Sydney

Saturday 30 March
Coogee Diggers, Sydney

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