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Deacon Blue and Amy Macdonald cancel gigs over Omicron

Getty Images Lewis Gordon, Ricky Ross and Lorraine McIntosh of Deacon Blue perform on stage at Usher Hall on December 08Getty Images
Deacon Blue played the Usher Hall in Edinburgh last week

Deacon Blue and Amy Macdonald have both postponed gigs in Scotland over concerns about the spread of the Omicron variant.

Deacon Blue were due to play Aberdeen on Saturday and the Hydro in Glasgow on Sunday.

They have now been postponed, as has Amy Macdonald's sell-out show at the Hydro on Friday.

Del Amitri have also cancelled shows in Stirling tonight, Edinburgh tomorrow and Glasgow on Monday and Tuesday.

All three of the Scottish acts said they did not believe people should be going to concerts at this time.

Getty Images Amy MacdonaldGetty Images
Amy Macdonald was due to perform at the Hydro on Friday

The Charlatans have also postponed the rest of their UK tour including three dates in Scotland.

When Deputy First Minister John Swinney was asked on Wednesday whether people should still go to large events like concerts, he said they should as long as they are fully vaccinated and have a negative lateral flow test.

But Deacon Blue lead singer Ricky Ross tweeted that it was clear to the band that they "should not be playing and people shouldn't be asked to attend gigs just now."

He said he hoped the gigs could be rescheduled at a later date.

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Announcing her Hydro show had been postponed until 18 March, Amy Macdonald said: "I'm so sorry to everyone - we tried everything to make the gig happen.

"We were left stuck between a rock and a hard place but ultimately the safety of the fans and crew has to come first.

Del Amitri said cancelling their shows was "clearly the best thing for us all", despite live music being allowed to continue under new guidelines that will come into effect on Friday.

The band, who also hope to reschedule, said: "We're absolutely gutted to be doing this, but at the same time we don't want to be contributing in any way to ruining everyone's Christmases by encouraging people to come out and see us."

Getty Images Tim BurgessGetty Images
The Charlatans have cancelled gigs in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen

Meanwhile, The Charlatans also postponed the rest of their tour, including gigs in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen.

They said they felt it was "unfair for our audience to have to choose between exposure to the virus or to avoid the show".

Scottish Trad Music band Skerryvore were among a host of other bands to also postpone scheduled gigs, with the band saying there was "confusion" over government guidance and that they had a "duty of care" to people who would have attended the concerts.

The rapid spread of the Omicron variant led to Public Health Scotland urging people to postpone Christmas parties and socialising plans a week ago.

On Tuesday, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon set out new restrictions to slow the spread, including calling for a three-household limit when socialising in the run-up to Christmas.

She also announced stricter measures to reduce queues and crowds in shops, bars and restaurants.

However, there were no new restrictions for large live events.