Last month, discerning audiences in both Melbourne and Sydney were treated to the Australian debut of the great John Grant, whose album Queen Of Denmark found countless fawning admirers in the UK, moving MOJO magazine to declare it their favourite album of 2010. The former Czars frontman, however, seems to be having less luck in his homeland, with his US tour being abruptly cancelled, apparently due to poor ticket sales.
Grant made the announcement via Facebook (via The Line Of Best Fit), writing, “Just two minutes ago, at quarter to midnight I’m being told that my tour of the U.S. has been cancelled and I am in shock. But it’s true, this is not a joke. Apparently there were no pre-sales to speak of and so they’ve decided to make this decision the night before I leave.
“Don’t ask me any questions right now, I’m pissed off and need to find out more about wtf is going on.”
Online sellers are giving the reason for the cancellation as ‘illness’. Grant was due to play five dates starting today (June 2). Grant heads to Europe, where he remains much-loved, later in the month for a lengthy tour that takes in several festivals, including Glastonbury and Roskilde. He has been previewing a couple of new songs live that will make their way onto a new album.
Grant did provide Australian fans with lovely renditions of songs from Queen Of Denmark, and indeed sold out the Vanguard in Sydney. Here is a nice clip of him in action:
