The Wanted 2.0 postpone first UK headline show as Max George recovers from heart surgery
The Wanted 2.0 have postponed their first UK headline show due to Max George’s ongoing recovery from heart surgery.
George had been set to launch the new, two-member version of the group – completed by his Wanted bandmate Siva Kaneswaran – at Manchester Cathedral next Thursday (February 27).
The gig was billed as a “one night only” event benefiting The Brain Tumour Charity, following the death of The Wanted’s Tom Parker from an inoperable brain tumour in 2022, aged 33.
Confirming that the concert had been pushed back, an update read: “Event has been postponed. New date to be announced in due course. Info: Postponement due to health issues.”
George has also shared a video message on social media, telling fans that he was “gutted”. He continued: “My second heart opp has just set me back a little bit with my recovery, and I’m just not going to be well enough in time. Yeah, [I’m] obviously so gutted.
“Me and Siva are just working out now when we’re gonna do it, which we 100 per cent will. We just need to figure out a date in the near future.”
He added: “But thanks again for all your support. Siva’s been awesome, as always, and we can’t wait to get this venture going. It’s just one of them things. It’s a bummer, but I’ll see you very, very soon. Love you.”
Earlier this week, George told fans that he had recently undergone a second operation to fix an issue with the wires of his pacemaker, and opened up about the “setback” he’d be dealing with.
“I’ve had a few complications the last couple of months but I’m having loads of tests to make sure everything is all good. It can take a few weeks / months for the inflammation of my heart to subside (myocarditis) but I’m sure I’ll be back on top form in no time!” he wrote.
The singer told fans last December that he had been hospitalised after some tests revealed “issues” with his heart. He said he was initially “feeling really unwell” and was having some tests carried out. It was later confirmed that George would need surgery for a heart condition.
He went on to explain that he had “a 2:1 block” in his heart, meaning that his heart beats slower or more irregularly than it should. He underwent heart surgery to have a pacemaker fitted shortly afterwards, and was discharged from hospital in time for Christmas.
Earlier, George had said he thought was “going to die” after being rushed to hospital with heart issues. Speaking to The Sun, the singer explained that at one point he was so convinced he wouldn’t make it, that he took out his phone and started writing out what to do with his assets.
“It was quite close that night, it really felt like my neck was closing up and that’s when the sort of panic really kicked in. I felt like I was dying. It was the worst, I felt emotional,” he remembered.
When he was discharged from hospital, George explained that he wasn’t completely in the clear as doctors had found there was more investigation needed into a potential issue with his lungs.
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Tom Skinner
NME
