George Ezra forced to reschedule UK shows after contracting chicken pox

Get well soon, George!

Author: Alex RossPublished 23rd Feb 2022

Just weeks after his comeback to the music scene with huge hit single 'Anyone For You', the lovely George Ezra has been forced to postpone a number of his upcoming live shows, after contracting chicken pox.

George was due to preview tracks from his hugely-antipcated third album 'Gold Rush Kid', which is due for release in June, at shows in London, Manchester and Edinburgh next week.

However, after picking up the contagious infection, the 28-year-old has now released a video informing fans of the date changes.

Filming himself, George told fans: “Hello. As you can see, I've got chicken pox, which I never had as a kid, and it is miserable. It's all of the fatigue and fever of the virus, but you also want to scratch at your skin all of the time.

"What this means is, I can't perform at the upcoming shows at Manchester, Edinburgh and London, which I'm absolutely gutted about.

"Recording this video is the last thing that I want to be doing. Even on a selfish level, I've not performed since 2019 and I was so looking forward to getting back up there and swinging my hips. But, it's just not going to happen.

"I'm so sorry to all of you who got tickets. The show's will be rescheduled and all of the information is attached to this post. I hope you are all well, and now more than ever, I cannot wait to see you all."

Although both the London and Manchester shows will take place at the same venues, now in April, the Edinburgh show has now changed venue to Edinburgh Usher Hall.

Due to the change in venue, George has informed fans all tickets will be refunded for Edinburgh, writing on Twitter: 'As we’ve had to change the venue in Edinburgh all tickets will be refunded. However if you had tickets to the original date then you will have first access to tickets for the new show at Usher Hall and will receive an email over the course of the week including a presale link.'. (sic)

Tickets for his Manchester and London shows will be valid for the new dates.

Check out George Ezra's amazing career so far:

Early life

George moved to Bristol in 2011 to study at the British and Irish Modern Music Institute. George wasn't the only musical one in his family, his elder sister Jessica accompanies him on tour and his younger brother, Ethan, is a talented singer and songwriter under the stage name Ten Tonnes.

2013: First appearance at Glastonbury

George's music was first played on radio stations in 2012 - and as a result, George got his big moment; he was asked to play the BBC Introducing Stage at Glastonbury 2013.

2014: 'Budapest'

Following the release of George's hit single, 'Budapest' his career really started to take off. The iconic track reached Number 1 in several countries and was nominated for 'British Single of the Year' at the Brit Awards and the MTV VMA's.

2014: Debut album ‘Wanted on Voyage’

George's debut album included hits such as, 'Budapest', 'Blame it on Me' and 'Cassy O' and reached Number 1 in the UK charts.

2015: BRIT Award Nominations

At the 2015 BRIT Awards, George was nominated in four categories: Best British Album, Best British Male Solo Artist, Best British Single, and British Breakthrough Artist as a result of the success of his first album 'Wanted On Voyage.'

2017: Touring and Festivals

After a busy and successful few years George took some time off in 2016, returning to the charts in 2017 with single 'Don't Matter Now' as well as some live performances on a 'secret' tour through April, May and June.


George also went on tour and played a number of festivals in the summer of 2017 including, Sziget, V Festival, Way Out Festival and Lollapalooza.

2018: Second album and 'Shotgun'

George released follow-up album 'Staying at Tamara's' in 2018, featuring singles 'Paradise', 'Pretty Shining People' and 'Hold My Girl' which were all hugely popular among George's fans.


George then dropped 'Shotgun' which went on to become his first Number one song in the UK, Irish and Australian charts and was later awarded platinum certification here in the UK.


Following the success of 'Shotgun' George's second album 'Staying at Tamara's' reached Number One in the UK album charts in May 2018.


George then went on to tour the album and played a number of festivals including headlining the Neighbourhood Weekender.

2019: BRIT Awards and headlining Glastonbury

In 2019, George won 'British Male Solo Artist' at the BRIT Awards following the success of his first two albums and huge hits such as 'Shotgun' and 'Paradise' which dominated radio playlists and became two of the biggest tracks of the year.


George also launched his own podcast series 'George Ezra and Friends', which features conversations between George and his guests. He's previously interviewed the likes of Nile Rodgers, Lewis Capaldi and Ed Sheeran.


George also returned to play Glastonbury Festival in 2019, but this time he played the world-famous Pyramid stage on the Friday evening.

2021: George announces he's performing on the Glastonbury global livestream

In 2021, George announced on his Instagram that he was going on a hiking trip with his friends for a couple of months. Four weeks in, the singer revealed the exciting news that he was going to be performing at Glastonbury's global livestream on Saturday 22nd May.

2022: New single 'Anyone For You'

In January 2022, George revealed that he was making his grand return with a brand new single called 'Anyone For You'.
He released 'Anyone For You' on 28th January.

2022: George Ezra announces third album 'Gold Rush Kid'

On the day George Ezra released his comeback single he also announced his third album 'Gold Rush Kid' would be released in June.

2022: George Ezra performs at Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee concert

George Ezra was one of the many talented artists to perform at the Platinum Party at the Palace in celebration of Her Majesty's 70 year reign.


He took to the stage on 4th June to perform some of his biggest hits including his new song 'Green Green Grass'. He later wrote on Instagram: 'Here's that time we played at Buckingham Palace… won't forget that in a hurry 🎉 What an incredible honour to play at the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, thank you for having me x' (sic).

2022: George Ezra headlines at Finsbury Park

George Ezra played the biggest headline show of his career at Finsbury Park in London on Sunday 17th June. He closed the show after performances from the London International Gospel Choir, Mychelle, The Big Moon, Holly Humberstone, Mimi Webb, and Blossoms, with songs from his latest album as well as some of his biggest hits.

2022: George Ezra announces film End to End

George Ezra announced a film called End to End that was shown in cinemas. The film follows the singer's adventure as he walked the length of the country with his best friends to meet musicians and battle the elements.

2023: George Ezra is nominated for two BRIT Awards

George Ezra was nominated for two BRIT Awards in January 2023 - Artist of The Year and Song of The Year for 'Green Green Grass'. Sadly, he lost out on both to Harry Styles!

2024: 10-year anniversary of George's debut album 'Wanted On Voyage'

After staying rather quiet on his socials for over a year, George made his return in July 2024 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of his debut album 'Wanted On Voyage'. The album was released on 30th June 2014, and sharing a post on 2nd July 2024, a post on George's Instagram read: 'George's debut album 'Wanted On Voyage' is 10 years old this week! Thank you for the memories.'

Over a decade after the album's release, it is now certified 5x Platinum in the UK, having spawned hit singles such as the 2x Platinum track 'Blame It On Me', and the 5x Platinum certified 'Budapest'. The album hit the Number 1 spot in the UK chart after its release, staying there for an impressive four weeks.

Fans were over the moon earlier this year when George announced he would be releasing a new single after taking months off to go on a hiking trip with friends.

'Anyone For You' was released on 28th January, where he also announced his third studio album 'Gold Rush Kid' would be available in June.

You can hear George Ezra's new single 'Anyone For You' on Downtown Radio.

Now read:

George Ezra drops comeback single 'Anyone For You'

28 things you didn't know about George Ezra

George Ezra reveals third album's title and release date

How to listen to Downtown Radio:

Tune into Northern Ireland's Home of Great Music, Downtown Radio on FM, AM, DAB Digital Radio, online, on our Rayo app and by asking your smart speaker to 'Play Downtown Radio'. Gary & Glen kick things off every weekday morning and Neal McClelland brings you home on Downtown Drive.