FEATURE:
When All Is Said and Done
IN THIS PHOTO: Arlo Parks
The Burnout and Exhaustion of Touring
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NOT that it is an epidemic…
but, over the past couple of weeks, three high-profile artists have shared news they are cancelling tour dates because of exhaustion and mental health concerns. I am exhausted typing this and I am not even a musician! The toil and general fatigue of modern life is hard on us all, so I can hardly imagine what it is like for artists who are touring and putting on these big shows. You may think, therefore, it is not surprising or unusual that you’d get artists declaring they need some time out to recoup and rest. This is true, though the fact that three acts have said similar things in fairly quick succession is more of a cause for concern. Will we see more artists follow suit? I think that the timing is interesting. Many artists are catching up after the pandemic and packing in so many shows. Festival season has sort of just come to an end, so this combined weight and busyness has meant casualties and drained artists. It is a coincidence that the three artists impacted are Mercury Prize nominees. Two, Sam Fender and Wet Leg are nominated this year. The third, Arlo Parks, won the award last year for her debut album, Collapsed in Sunbeams. We are talking about three superb and beloved British acts who have made the decision to pull some shows to focus on their mental health.
Sam Fender took to social media recently to say that he needed to cancel some shows. He has had such a hectic and busy year, so I think everything has taken its toll and caused him to rethink things and prioritise his health. The BBC reported the story:
“Sam Fender has announced he is to take a short break from touring to look after his mental health.
The star took to social media to tell fans he and his band were "burnt out".
"My friends and colleagues have been worried about me for a while and it's not going to get better unless I take the time to do so," he wrote.
Fender's upcoming US headline shows will be cancelled, as well as gigs with Florence and the Machine and the Life is Beautiful Festival.
His rescheduled appearances at UK record stores are also affected.
Fender will play at St James' Park in Newcastle in June, fulfilling a "childhood dream"
However, the North Shields star said he was "super excited" for Australia in late November and "everything to come in 2023", including June's homecoming gigs at Newcastle United's St James' Park, for which tickets sold out within minutes.
"It seems completely hypocritical of me to advocate discussion on mental health and write songs about it, if I don't take the time to look after my own mental health," his statement read.
"I've neglected myself for over a year now and haven't dealt with things that have deeply affected me.
"It's impossible to do this work on myself while on the road, and it's exhausting feigning happiness and wellness for the sake of business."
Fender has won two Brit awards, both of which have been turned into beer hand pulls at the Low Lights Tavern in North Shields, where he worked and was discovered at the age of 18.
Both his albums, 2019's Hypersonic Missiles and 2021's Seventeen Going Under topped the UK charts, with the latter shortlisted for the Mercury music prize”.
Wet Leg, nominated for a Mercury for their eponymous debut album, are among the most popular and exciting new acts in the world. They have been performing international dates and I think there has been this combination of expectation and genuine passion for performance. Having released such a revered and acclaimed album, packing in tour dates and taking their music far and wide seemed a natural move. Also, Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers are new and want to deliver to their passionate and faithful fans. They also want to cut their teeth, hone their craft and build up their fanbase and reputation as a sensational live act. Like Sam Fender, there has been this breaking point where have said how things need to change. NME take up the story:
“Wet Leg have updated fans on why they didn’t perform two of their recent US tour dates, citing “mental and physical health” concerns.
The duo have been touring their “instant classic” debut album across the States, and were due to play Abiquiú, New Mexico and the Westword Music Showcase in Denver, Colorado on September 9 and 10 respectively. After returning to the UK for a few days, however, it was announced that those dates would not go ahead.
Posting on social media today (September 13), the band wrote: “Hey everyone! just wanted to say sorry for missing you Denver and New Mexico. And no it wasn’t because of covid! truth is that it all got a bit on top of us and we just couldn’t quite manage to get back on that plane.
“It’s been an amazing year playing our music all over the world but our busy touring schedule finally got the better of us this time. I just want you guys to know that it wasn’t an easy decision at all and I’m sorry I didn’t post anything about it sooner. Our mental and physical health are such easy things to overlook when everything is so exciting and so busy, you barely have a moment to check in with yourself.”
The statement concluded with a confirmation that forthcoming dates would still go ahead, adding: “Anyway after many big ugly cries and lots of good sleep, we’re back and ready to rumble. That means Salt Lake City, Phoenix, Life is Beautiful fest, New York and Sea Hear Now fest we are coming 4 u”.
The most recent case of a rising/bigger artist cramming in so many dates and now having to step back is the sensational Arlo Parks. I guess all artists are susceptible, but September has been a month where summer gigs have concluded and there have been extra dates in the diary, in part holdovers from the pandemic shows that were cancelled, combined with additional ones because of their popularity. I can understand why artists like Parks want to please their fans and travel as far as possible to reach people. The Guardian reported on Parks’ mental health struggles and decline:
“Singer Arlo Parks, winner of the Mercury prize and Brit awards, has cancelled a string of concerts, saying her mental health has “deteriorated to a debilitating place”.
Parks announced on social media that she had decided to scrap some of her US tour dates and fly home to London for a period of rest and recovery.
It comes days after fellow Brit award winner Sam Fender also cancelled a series of upcoming shows to look after his mental health after becoming “burnt out”.
Parks’s profile has grown exponentially since the debut of her first EP, Super Sad Generation, in April 2019.
Last year was the 22-year-old singer’s breakout year, during which she released a critically acclaimed debut album, Collapsed in Sunbeams, and took home both the Mercury prize and the award for best new artist at the Brits.
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She also embarked on an international tour, opening for acts such as Harry Styles and Billie Eilish.
Addressing her fans, Parks wrote: “I’ve been on the road on and off for the last 18 months, filling every spare second in between and working myself to the bone.
“The people around me started to get worried but I was anxious to deliver and afraid to disappoint my fans and myself. I pushed myself unhealthily, further and harder than I should’ve.”
Announcing the cancellation of several upcoming shows, she added: “I don’t take decisions like this lightly but I am broken and I really need to step out, go home and take care of myself.
“I will do everything I can to make this up to you – for now you can get refunds at your point of purchase.
“I’m forever thankful to everyone who continues to show up for me, what a dream to have fans like you guys – I’ll be back – love AP.”
She said she intends to restart her tour at the Crystal Ballroom venue in Portland, Oregon on 26 September”.
I like how artists can open up and there is this wave of love and support from fans. Rather than push themselves past breaking point, Sam Fender, Wet Leg and Arlo Parks are stepping away from live dates for varying lengths of time. I hope that they can all recharge and come back when they are ready. It makes me wonder whether there is pressure on musicians to perform too much or to hide their mental health issues and statuses. They all love performing for their fans but, between traveling and the energy needed to get through each gig, things have come to a head. A physical injury that forces an artist to postpone gigs is one thing, but when someone like Arlo Parks says that their mental health has left them debilitated is another thing altogether. It makes me think that we are going to see many other artists also having to cancel gigs because they are either mentally exhausted or drained because of demand and the physicality of performing. Is there a solution? As I said, I think it is a bad time because the pandemic has meant many artists are touring a lot more now than they would have. Many might feel guilty or anxious about cancelling gigs through fear of letting fans down, so they plough on and there is a day when they cannot continue and need to step away. Because streaming services do not pay artists much, touring is one of the only revenue sources for many.!
From Rina Sawayama and Charli XCX through to Dua Lipa and Yard Act, I hope we do not see too many of our great artists suffer from mental exhaustion. I have mentioned how many of us cannot conceive of the realities of a touring artist’s life and reality. You wonder how many acts are pushing through the pain and exhaustion and what impact that is having. I know it is part of the reality and downside to the music industry, but it is devastating to learn that an artist is going through a terrible time. They must feel gutted to have to cancel shows and affect fans, but they also need to protect themselves and preserve their mental health. In light of Sam Fender, Wet Leg and Arlo Parks announcing their mental health has been impacted so severely that they need to take a break, I hope questions are asked, things change, and there are some protective barriers in place. In a larger sense, it should ignite the debate as to whether artists are burning out because streaming sites pay so little. It is a bit of a sad state of affairs. After a tough two years for all artists, there has been this explosion of gigs around the world. Inevitably, it has caused damage and downsides, but it is upsetting that Sam Fender, Wet Leg and Arlo Parks have been so severely hit. I hope that they will be okay, and I wish them…
ALL the very best.