Blind

A HUGE British band has been forced to cancel their UK tour after one of the member’s revealed a devastating diagnosis.

Popular indie duo Seafret have scrapped the remainder of their current UK tour after the band’s lead guitarist Harry Draper was diagnosed with a debilitating eye disease that will eventually cause him to go blind.

The band, who consist of Harry alongside frontman Jack Sedman and first formed in 2011, shared the news in a statement on the band’s social media on Tuesday afternoon.

Harry explained he had been diagnosed with Stargardt, which is a rare genetic eye condition that causes progressive central vision loss.

The post read: “Hey everyone, I’m so sorry to have to do this, but I’m afraid I’m going to have to cancel the remainder of the tour.

“I’m going to be totally honest with you, I’m struggling. I’ve recently been diagnosed with an eye disease called Stargardt, which will sadly mean I’m going to go blind.”

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The musician said he was going to take some time out but thanked his fans for their support and insisted “I won’t let this stop me”.

“It’s been so much to get my head around, and I’ve really struggled to see last few nights on stage,” the statement continued.

“I just need to take a bit of time out to get my head around all of this.

“I won’t let this stop me, but I do just need a little time.

“I know you’ll understand, you’re the best fans in the world. From the bottom of my heart, I’m so sorry. Harry xx.”

The band’s fans rushed to show their support for the musician following his statement regarding his diagnosis. 

The duo kicked off their huge UK and European tour last week and were due to visit a number of cities around the UK before heading over to Europe next month. 

The band first achieved chart success in 2016 when their debut album charted on the official album charts.

They then went on to release a number of singles and EPs. Their biggest success came in 2022, when a sped-up version of their song “Atlantis” went viral on TikTok.

Following this, they released an official version of the song, leading it to chart all across Europe and pass over 400 million streams on Spotify.

While their monthly listeners on the platform increased to over 13 million.

Al-Noor is a UNRWA centre in Gaza providing education and support for visually impaired children. Operating since 1962, it faces unprecedented pressure as Israel’s war on Gaza has left more than 1,500 people visually impaired since 2023.