Morrissey Cancels Stockholm Concert: Exhaustion and Lack of Industry Support

In a heartbreaking announcement for fans, former Smiths frontman Morrissey has canceled his upcoming concert in Stockholm, citing severe exhaustion among his band and a lack of support from the music industry. The 66-year-old was scheduled to perform at Stockholm’s Hovet Arena on Monday, June 23, but the show has been called off.

In a statement on Morrissey Central, he expressed the pain of not being able to reach Stockholm this week, stating, “The pain at not reaching Stockholm this week is horrific for the band and crew. We dream of Stockholm, Reykjavik, Trondheim, Helsinki, Aarhus… but there is no financial support from imaginary record labels to get us to such places.”

Morrissey further explained that despite having visited six countries in the past week, the constant travel has taken its toll on the group. “We are travel-weary beyond belief,” he said. “We pray to God that someone, somewhere can help us reach Sweden, Norway, Finland, Iceland, Denmark… where we have thousands upon thousands of friends, yet absolutely zero music industry support.”

According to the tour schedule, no other Scandinavian dates are booked. Fans who purchased tickets for the Stockholm show received a message reading, “Due to exhaustion among the band and crew, the Morrissey headline engagement at Hovet has been canceled. Refunds will be available at the point of purchase.”

Morrissey also expressed ongoing frustrations with the state of the industry, pointing out the contrast between high ticket sales and a lack of backing from labels or radio. “No label will release our music, no radio will play our music… and yet our ticket sales are sensational,” he said. “What does this tell us about the state of Art in 2025?”

He added, “The wagon rolls on to Berlin, 27 June. With the grace of God we will all gather. I love all of you with whatever is left of my doomed heart.”

His comments come as tensions continue over his unreleased album Bonfire of Teenagers. The project, recorded between 2020 and 2021, was originally slated for a 2023 release on Capitol Records but remains shelved following his split from the label in 2022.

Morrissey has had a long and contentious relationship with record labels—even dating back to his days with The Smiths. The band was signed to independent label Rough Trade and frequently voiced frustration over the lack of star treatment and criticized what they called the label’s “defeatism” when it came to promoting their music. As The Smiths grew in popularity and attracted interest from major labels, they became increasingly frustrated with their Rough Trade contract, which bound them for at least two more albums after “Shakespeare’s Sister.” Regardless, The Smiths officially disbanded in 1987 after internal tensions made it increasingly difficult for the group to continue.