The scheduled New Order concert at Alexandra Head, near Cardiff Bay Barrage, has been cancelled due to health and safety concerns following a weather warning. The performance was set to take place on Thursday evening, but organisers announced the cancellation citing “extreme weather, including severe winds.”
The cancellation comes in anticipation of Storm Lilian, which is expected to bring strong winds to the region between 05:00 and 11:00 BST on Friday. The Met Office has issued a weather warning for Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Gwynedd, and Anglesey, predicting gusts in the 50 to 60 mph range.
In a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter), the band expressed their regret: “There will be an official statement in due course regarding tickets. We are disappointed to not be performing for you all tonight, but safety of our fans & crew always comes first.”
Tim Burgess, lead singer of support act The Charlatans, shared his disappointment on X, noting: “The weather is absolutely the reason. Setting back all the work that had to start in the early hours – the safety of everyone working has to come first. All bands have had representatives involved at every stage.” Burgess also offered a gesture for fans who had travelled, revealing he left £500 behind the bar at Tiny Rebel in Cardiff.
The Bay Series, which organised the event, apologised for the inconvenience and assured customers that refunds would be processed automatically.
Dermot Owens, a 54-year-old fan from Belfast, expressed his frustration after receiving news of the cancellation upon arriving at the train station. “I had VIP tickets too so we’d have been right up in the front too. But we’ll get our money back – but such is life. I have seen some other guys in Facebook who had sorted flights from America and non-refundable hotel so I feel a lot worse for them,” he said. Owens, who was eagerly anticipating his first New Order concert, added, “They’re not a band that plays very often, maybe once every two years? I’ve never seen them before so I was very excited. I’m very disappointed, but life’s too short to be angry about these things.”
