Mouth of the Tyne organisers have issued refund advice to fans who had tickets to see Lighthouse Family at this year's event, after the band called it a day and scrapped the gig.
Paul Tucker and Tunde Baiyewu formed the group after becoming friends while working in the same Newcastle bar as they studied at university. After recording a number of demos of songs Paul had written in the late 80s, the Lighthouse Family got their big break when a re-release of single Lifted cracked the top 5 of the UK Top 40 in 1996.
The track was taken from their debut album Ocean Drive, which also included the epic title track and Goodbye Heartbreak and went onto be certified six times platinum. Paul and Tunde's homecoming show at Mouth of the Tyne in Tynemouth on Saturday, July 9, was a long time coming, given that it was originally meant to happen in summer 2020 before being cancelled dye to the coronavirus pandemic.
READ MORE: Lighthouse Family split as Mouth of the Tyne performance cancelled
And now it won't happen at all as, on Tuesday, Paul took to Instagram to reveal Lighthouse Family had split, telling fans it 'broke his heart' to let them down. Shortly after Paul posted his statement, the team behind Mouth of the Tyne took to Facebook to make their own statement, saying they'd 'tried to convince' the duo not to cancel.
The post read: "We are hugely disappointed to let you know that the Lighthouse Family are no longer able to perform at this year’s festival. Despite their show selling out months ago, and with just a few weeks to go before the event, they’ve decided to go their separate ways.
2We’ve tried really hard to convince them otherwise and to have one last night in front of their fans on home turf - but it’s just not to be."
How to get a refund for Lighthouse Family at Mouth of the Tyne
Ticketholders will be contacted directly by either See Tickets or Ticketmaster to arrange a refund.
Mouth of the Tyne organisers added that they are now trying to get a new headline act for July 9. They added: "We know that loads of you were looking forward to it having held on to your tickets since early 2020 and will be as disappointed as we are.
"Thank you for your understanding with this one, it really is beyond our control."
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