Arcade Fire scrap European tour

Cult rockers the Arcade Fire have pulled the plug on the rest of their European tour to allow frontman Win Butler to recover from an ongoing sinus and bronchial infection.

In a statement, Butler has apologised to fans but explained he felt it was the right decision to stop and take care of his health.

The singer writes: "I have been suffering from a sinus and bronchial infection for the last three months… (Now) I can barely speak, or make any sound, so finishing the shows is no longer possible.

"I have had several doctors advise me to cancel shows weeks ago, and I have been trying to push through, but for my own health and safety I need to have sinus surgery so I can get better and start the recovery process.

"We are all very sad, because we were very much looking forward to playing these shows, and we could not imagine cancelling (sic) a show unless it was physically impossible to do."