Cradle Of Filth are downright dirty about being forced to cancel their upcoming North American tour due to a visa issue beyond the band’s control. In a lengthy letter written by Dani Filth and posted on on his blog, the English singer expressed his disappointment.
Declaring the whole ordeal to be “a royal nightmare”, Filth says the band did all it could to try to stop the tour from being cancelled. Cradle Of Filth were to tour with Decapitated, The Faceless and The Agonist but now those plans have been scrapped. On top of his visa miseries, both the singer and his wife, Toni, came down with both bouts of the flu along pharyngitis and laryngitis, respectively.
Filth asures North American fans that the band will return once their visas are processed, embarking on a more inclusive tour:
“When the visas are eventually processed, we will be able to come back to the States on a much longer tour, seeing as there was a huge amount of people on our Facebook page complaining about the band not playing anywhere near where they lived.”
Not only that, but the band have been forced to relocate their Shanghai show to Hong Kong after being told they were not welcome on the Chinese mainland.
“Unfortunately at this time, the cultural section of the Chinese government have decided that Cradle Of Filth are unsuitable to play in mainland China and so we are currently banned from playing there. Therefore, the show on Tuesday 30 April in Shang Hai (sic), China at MAO Live House has had to be moved to Hong Kong… The new venue is Kowloonbay International Trad & Exhibition Centre (kitec) in hon Kong on April 30th. Hope to see you there.”
In more positive news for Australian fans, Filth confirmed that Cradle Of Filth will embark on an Australian tour later in 2013, the band’s first in 4 years.
“On a much lighter note, Australian dates have been added to our future touring commitments, the first time in four years that we would’ve been back to grace these fair shores.”
Here’s hoping the Aussie government are more amenable to the band’s aesthetic. Check out the full statement below.
“Dearest readers,
The week we were due to receive our US performance visas truly was one of the worst weeks of my life, as it launched itself blazing into nightmare with the rotten news that the US tour was being cancelled. Believe you me, there is still no one more pissed off about this than me, over nothing more than a silly visa issue. Still, what can you do, the more you complain about the immigration laws, the less likely we are to get in next time we intend to tour?
Unfortunately there is no way of getting around this problem, whatever anybody says and believe you me we have tried vigorously through various official channels and at some expense, it is just a hard cold fact of entry into the US at the moment. So, better that we postpone/cancel than lead people on any further in the hope that Cradle will be making at least some of these current dates, including Canada, which comes cost-wise part and parcel of touring North America as a whole.
It truly is a royal nightmare, as the tour obviously took a lengthy time to route and organize, plus there are the other bands, booking agents, bus companies, local promoters, venues, venue staff and of course, our loyal fans in attendance to consider. Still, if it’s any consolation at all, it does mean that there is a distinct possibility that when the visas are eventually processed, we will be able to come back to the States on a much longer tour, seeing as there was a huge amount of people on our Facebook page complaining about the band not playing anywhere near where they lived. Believe me when I say this, we hear you, and the next tour will take all these requests into ardent consideration. So, if you want Cradle to come to your country, town or city, make your sepulchral voice heard now… Fuck it, speak to the local promoters if you have to!
And if this wasn’t enough misery to unhappily digest, it was then followed by a horrid bout of flu. I had Pharyngitis, Toni had Laryngitis and the rest of the week was spent in the company of a high temperature, headache, earache, limb ache, all-else ache and a raging sore throat combination pack. On Valentine’s Day, that most romantic evening of the year, having cancelled our posh dinner and movie date, we were both rolled in as many layers of clothing as was humanly possible to keep warm in bed. And we were still shivering through fever. Now, nigh on two weeks on and the final dregs of the chest infection that came with it are still airing themselves via a hacking great cough and a sinister, sniveling cold.
Anyway, I’d like to end this section of my blog by offering a massive apology to everybody that has been let down by this cancellation, especially the all-important Crewdle Of Filth, The Agonist, Decapitated and The Faceless. If there was any way we could change this, we indefatigably would. Without question. Our friends and fans are the most important thing to this band. Period.
On a much lighter note, Australian dates have been added to our future touring commitments, the first time in four years that we would’ve been back to grace these fair shores, having already played ourselves silly in South America and Asia (yay!) before winging our way to the Magical land of Oz. An announcement of who will be supporting us will be made very shortly. I must say, I am really, really looking forward to these concerts, just as much as I was really really looking forward to touring the States.
Keep checking back for more updates as and when they occur and fingers crossed for the reallocation of the US tour to later on in the year. Plus I will be making a few heady announcements of my own that should tantalize in the upcoming calendar months (and no, i’m not pregnant!). Cryptic I know, but definitely worth the wait.
All the very breast,
Dani Filth, Housebound, February 2013 E.H“
