The Damned Waterside gig cancelled

Friars said it would have been very difficult to maintain social distancing at the venue.

A statement from Friars Club said: "The Damned have decided to make the decision for us and are announcing today that all their 2020 shows, including the Friars date, will be cancelled and they will start again with new dates in 2021.

"This means that all existing ticket holders should seek a refund on their tickets with ATG, Ticketmaster or See tickets depending on which outlet was used to purchase the

tickets.

"Please give the ticket outlets a few days to set this up and please let us know if you encounter any difficulties and we’ll try to help."

Speaking to Friars, they said it's a decision they thought had been coming for a while now.

They said that the pandemic had presented its difficulties, but promised Friars would be back stronger than ever.

They said: "This pandemic has devastated the live music industry but Friars will be back stronger than ever.

"Please support the #LettheMusicPlay campaign.

"We can’t wait for live music to become legal again.

"Thanks so much to all the Friars Aylesbury community and a special thanks and appreciation to ATG and the Waterside team who have been absolutely brilliant in supporting us. Keep the faith."

On July 2nd 2020, UK Music and members of the UK Live Music Group, alongside a coalition of live music businesses including artists, venues, concerts, festivals, production companies and industry figures launched a campaign, Let The Music Play, to highlight the importance of the sector to the UK's economy.

You can read more about the campaign here.

'The Captain', from the Damned said:

“Unfortunately due to the ongoing issues with Covid-19 and live music, we’re going to have to cancel the following shows (Sheffield, Glasgow, Leeds, Aylesbury).

"We’re making big plans for 2021, a very exciting year for The Damned, so will keep you updated on all that as new dates get confirmed.

"This Covid thing has been awful for anyone afflicted with it of course, but also to our way of life – shops and businesses are going bust left right and centre and what will be

left when things get back to normal (note the omission of the word new, cos that means anything but normal) is anyone's guess, but I'll tell you something... I'm so desperate for a bit of live music, I'd even pay to see a bloody Cliff and the Shads tribute act at the moment.

"We want to get this show out on the road again and are doing all in our power to make that happen.

"It's a glorious noise the Damned makes and we will hopefully be coming to a stage near you sometime soon. #letthemusicplay"