Pandemonium Rocks has announced that one of its lead artists has been forced to leave due to a tragic family emergency.
American rock band Palaye Royale was scheduled to perform at the Australian rock music festival, which begins on Saturday in Melbourne.
However, the band, consisting of brothers Remington Leith, Sebastian Danzig and Emerson Barrett, had to pull out at the last minute due to a devastating family emergency.
The brothers took to Instagram to explain that their mother was told she only had days to live amid a battle with stage four brain and lung cancer.
Pandemonium Rocks took to Instagram to confirm that Palaye Royale would no longer be traveling to Australia for the festival in light of the tragic news.
Pandemonium Rocks have announced that headliners Palaye Royale (pictured) have been forced to drop out due to a tragic family emergency.
A statement from the band read: “It is with great regret that we cancel our performance at the upcoming Pandemonium Festival.
‘We have encountered a family emergency that requires our immediate attention and presence.
‘In light of this unfortunate circumstance, we extend our sincere apologies to all those who were looking forward to our performance.
“We are grateful for the understanding and support of our fans, as well as the organizers of Pandemonium Festival, during this difficult time.”
The band added on their Instagram in an emotional post: ‘All the prayers and positive thoughts in hopes our mom feels the love would be greatly appreciated.
The band, formed by brothers Remington Leith, Sebastian Danzig and Emerson Barrett, was scheduled to perform at the Australian rock music festival, but had to withdraw.
The brothers took to Instagram to explain that their mother only has days to live amid a battle with brain and lung cancer, and Pandemonium Rocks also shared a statement.
‘We have received devastating news about our mother. As many of you know, she was diagnosed with stage 4 brain and lung cancer in July 2023.
“She fought hard and long, but last weekend our mother had to be rushed to hospital to discover that the cancer had torn her intestines and we only had a few more hours or days left.”
The brothers were quickly inundated with messages of support from their friends and fans as they sent their love to the family at the difficult time.
Pandemonium Rocks confirmed that a local act will now open each festival, with set times yet to be confirmed.
The new rock festival will kick off in Melbourne on Saturday, before touring Sydney, the Gold Coast and Brisbane the following week.
Last month the festival was hit by fears it would be canceled after a difficult time for Australian music festivals (pictured: archive image of the crowd at the Soundwave Music Festival in 2011).
The new rock festival will kick off in Melbourne on Saturday, before touring Sydney, the Gold Coast and Brisbane the following week.
He recently came under fire from fans for his announcement that ticket holders will not receive full refunds, following a major lineup change.
Earlier this month, it was announced that six the acts had been eliminated from the festival, including international headliners Placebo and Deep Purple, as well as American band Dead Kennedys.
The location of several dates has also been changed, while organizers also confirmed that their original multi-stage design had been condensed into a single stage.
He recently came under fire from fans for his announcement that ticket holders will not receive full refunds, following a major line-up change, which left Placebo among the eliminated band.
General admission tickets have also been reduced from about $285 to $190, while VIP tickets have been reduced from $830 to $650.
Pandemonium Rocks later clarified on social media that despite the changes, ticket holders could not claim a full refund.
Instead, they could receive one Complimentary GA ticket per full-price ticket purchased, a partial refund of $70 (which is the difference between the initial price and the new ticket price), or an ‘exclusive Pandemonium hoodie valued at $100.’
The decision not to offer a full refund option caused outrage among fans, who took to social media at the time to express their disapproval.
Alice Cooper (pictured in 2022), Blondie, Wheatus, Wolfmother and Cosmic Psychos are among the acts still performing at the rock festival.
Last month, the festival was hit by fears it would be canceled after a string of Australian festivals were cancelled.
But organizers assured fans at the time that the festival would go ahead with “some changes”, before officially confirming the changes to the line-up.
Alice Cooper, Blondie, Wheatus, Wolfmother and Cosmic Psychos are among the artists still performing at the rock festival.