Robbie Williams has cancelled the final show of his world ‘BRITPOP’ tour in Turkey following public safety concerns.
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The former Take That singer was due to perform at Atakoy Marina in Istanbul this Tuesday (October 7), but confirmed on his Instagram Stories that he was “extremely sorry” and that the concert had been pulled.
He wrote: “City authorities have cancelled the show, in the interests of public safety.The last thing I would ever want to do is to jeopardise the safety of my fans – their safety and security come first. We were very excited to be playing Istanbul for the first time, and purposely chose the city as the final show of the Britpop tour.
“To end this epic run of dates in front of my Turkish fans was my dream, given the close connections my family have with this wonderful country.”
Williams is married to Ayda Field Williams, who is Turkish-born.
He added: “To everyone in Istanbul who wanted to join the 1.2 million people who have shared this phenomenal tour this year with us, I am deeply sorry. We were so looking forward to this show, but the decision to cancel it was beyond our control.”
He is still expected to perform his upcoming gig on Thursday (October 9) at Dingwalls in Camden, which will see him play ‘BRITPOP’ in full for the first time, as well as his 1997 debut solo record ‘Life Thru A Lens’.
‘BRITPOP’ was due to be released this Friday (October 10) but was recently pushed back to February 6, 2026 due to “scheduling issues”.
Fans who pre-ordered the album were notified in an email from the singer’s team, with a message that read: “Due to scheduling changes ‘BRITPOP’ will now be released on February 6 2026. Your order will be dispatched in line with the new release date. Apologies for any inconvenience caused, we promise it will be worth the wait.”
It hasn’t been shared what the exact “scheduling changes” are, however, some people online have noticed how the original date of release happened to fall close to another huge album on the way – Taylor Swift’s ‘The Life Of A Showgirl’.
Williams recently hosted an exclusive playback of his upcoming 13th solo studio album at central London’s infamous Groucho Club, and took part in an interview with comedian Joe Lycett.
At the event, he revealed the album’s star-packed list of collaborators and shared details of a new song about Morrissey.
Also featured on the album are Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi (who appears on previously released first single ‘Rocket’), “a couple of songs” with Supergrass frontman Gaz Coombes, and one with Coldplay’s Chris Martin.
Speaking to NME about the record back in May, Williams opened up about his new guitar-driven sound. “I was playing it safe and I’ve not been driving my own car. I’ve not had my hands on the wheel through second-thinking myself and guessing what people like. I just wanted to do something that I like,” he said.
He also opened up about his thoughts on Soft Play, saying: “These lads appeal to the 14-year-old version of me that wanted to rage hard, be cool, shout, be aggressive in a kind way.
“There is a bit of a love-fest. I don’t get to hang out with them as much as I would like to. Hopefully they’ll come and join me on tour for a little bit.” Check out the full interview here.
