'So sorry': Offaly band make 'hard decision' amid ongoing conflict in the Middle East

Offaly band Chasing Abbey have announced the postponement of their upcoming Australian tour due to uncertainty over the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. 

The award-winning music act were set to perform four shows across Australia between April 17-25 including gigs in Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney and Perth. 

The Tullamore trio put out a statement on social media confirming the news which was captioned: "This was such a hard decision to make and we are so so sorry, hopefully peace prevails soon take care and see you soon ". 

Their accompanying statement read: "Australia, Due to the ongoing uncertainty following the conflict in the Middle East along with rising travel costs, we regretfully announce the postponement of our upcoming Australian tour."

It continued: "This decision was not taken lightly, we had really been looking forward to returning to Australia and seeing you all again, but ongoing uncertainty and rising costs have mad the tour not viable at this time."

They concluded their statement by confirming: "All dates will be rescheduled for later this year and will be announced soon. All tickets remain valid, and refunds are available at point of sale for those unable to attend the new dates. Grá Mór!

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The 2026 Australian tour was set to be another memorable outing for the Irish band who have earned a reputation for electrifying high-energy live performances as they combine electronic production with influences from traditional Irish music.

Many fans reacted to the news on social media including the large contingent of Irish people living down under. 

One user commented: "Right decision. I was so looking forward to it. Aussies travel in huge numbers to Ireland. We leave Ireland but Ireland never leaves us. Stay safe and keep writing songs."

Another person wrote: "Oh no, I was so looking forward to seeing you- I was coming to Melbourne especially. Completely understand your decision, you have to stay safe and look after yourselves and your loved ones."

A final user said: "Totally gutted to not seeing you in Perth, you were going to be the last gig I see here before I head home to Ireland, However, totally understand the cost for getting here and internal flights are now off the scale. Wishing you all well, Keep safe and very much look forward to catching you at home."

It's been an eventful week for Chasing Abbey as not only have they had to cancel their Australian tour but they have also released a new single in support of the ongoing fuel protests which have been taking place all over Ireland recently.

Upon the release of their new song, the band illustrated their support for the protestors by posting: "We stand with the protests and deeply oppose the governments response to them. These people deserve immediate assistance to ensure their livelihoods are not lost."

They added: "At the same time, it’s important to remember a major root cause of the issue at hand, and that is warmongering, violent country’s waging war across the Middle East. We can all stand up for what is right together."

A video of the new music can be viewed below: