New Order have responded to comments from fans after they were forced to cancel their Cardiff Bay show on Thursday due to “extreme weather”.

Yesterday (August 22) it was announced that the band’s gig in Cardiff Bay had been cancelled due to “health and safety reasons”.

The show was set to mark New Order’s first UK gig of the year, but was called off due to “extreme weather conditions” in the area. No plans have been shared about rescheduling the show.

Some disappointed fans pointed out to the band that the storm had largely died down in the Cardiff area by the time the show was due to start. The band have since responded to the backlash on their social media accounts.

“In addition to our announcement that tonight’s performance has been cancelled, we would like to clarify that the extreme weather that caused the cancellation of the event occurred earlier this morning,” they wrote.

“Independent health and safety officials determined that the site was unsafe for staff to work at during this period, meaning staff were unable to carry out essential works to make the site safe or to install New Order production.”

“This was not a decision taken lightly and New Order deeply regrets that this was beyond their control,” they added.

“All tickets are automatically refunded. We have been informed that it can take up to 10 business days for the refund to appear in your account.”

Storm Lilian has been raging across England and Wales for the past 48 hours. Campers attending Leeds Festival this weekend are being warned to pitch their tents safely on Friday morning due to possible wind gusts of up to 60mph.

We are sorry to inform you that our show tonight in Cardiff has been cancelled due to high winds at the venue. An official statement regarding tickets will be released in due course. We are disappointed that we will not be able to perform for you tonight, but the safety of our fans and crew always comes first. photo.twitter.com/1mKSPP3WoB

— New Order (@neworder) August 22, 2024

After news of the cancellation broke on Thursday, New Order wrote: “We are sorry to announce that our show tonight in Cardiff has been cancelled due to high winds at the venue. An official statement regarding tickets will be released in due course. We are disappointed that we will not be able to perform for you all tonight, but the safety of our fans and crew always comes first.”

As a consolation, Tim Burgess, frontman of Charlatans and whose band were originally scheduled to open for New Order, announced that ticket holders could get free drinks at a bar in Cardiff last night.

Another New Order gig at Manchester’s Wythenshawe Park on Saturday (August 24) is still scheduled, with support from Johnny Marr and Róisín Murphy.

Last year, New Order celebrated the 40th anniversary of their seminal song ‘Blue Monday’ and announced reissues of their classic compilation ‘Substance 1987’ to commemorate the milestone – the band’s best-selling album to date.

About the same time, Sumner spoke with NME about his collaboration with Mella Dee, ‘Riptide’.

“It was all about the Russian invasion of Ukraine and I saw that all the time,” he said, recalling the political inspiration for the song’s lyrics. “I was in a vacuum, so I actually wrote it about politics and the war. I wanted to write it about something that meant a lot to me.”