Placebo gig axed at Empress Ballroom as repair work goes on

Decorated plaster fell from the ceiling of the iconic venue in September with gigs by Alt-J and Libertines previously axed.

The damage was discovered on the morning of Monday, September 4, during routine checks of the Winter Gardens complex.

Repair work is taking longer than expected after initial estimates suggested it would re-open at the beginning of October.

Work is under way to fix the roof of the Empress Ballroom at the Winter Gardens

The NHS’ Heroes in Health’ awards, set for this Friday, has been moved to the Tower Ballroom.

Now it has been announced Placebo’s show, planned for Wednesday October 11, has been cancelled. They will play a show at the Albert Hall in Manchester on the same night instead.

The band said: “We are very sorry to all the fans you have bought tickets for the Blackpool show but this situation is completely out of our hands.

“We looked to find the closest venue to Blackpool but most are fully booked as we’re only 10 days away from the show. We recognise that the new venue/city will not work for everyone but it’s the best we can do under the circumstances.”

Ticketholders will be offered a full refund and a link to the presale for the Manchester show at 9am on Wednesday.