FRIENDLY Fires have been forced to cancel tonight’s sell-out show at Southampton Guildhall.

Front man Ed MacFarlane has contracted a viral throat infection and is too ill to perform.

The indie pop group have promised their fans in the south that they will reschedule the gig and all tickets will be valid for the new date, which has not yet been decided.

A band statement said: "It is with great regret that tonight's show in Southampton has to be postponed due to Ed's suffering from a viral throat infection. We will be rescheduling the show as soon as possible and we apologise to our fans who were looking forward to seeing us perform tonight. At present no other UK dates will be affected. So sorry."

Friendly Fires released their second album Pala to critical acclaim earlier this year.