News - The Xcerts - Bassist Fractures Wrist Days Before 2 Month Tour

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Submitted: "The Xcerts bassist Jordan Smith has fractured his wrist whilst skateboarding only a few days before the band embark on a two month touring schedule. The timing couldn’t be worse for the band who have shows lined up with childhood heroes Idlewild, musical stalwarts Funeral for a Friend and up and comers This City. However the band have made a decision to honor all the dates with Jordan spending a frantic few days learning new parts on different instruments.
Describing the incident Jordan says "I went rolling along a sunny Brighton seafront feeling lazy and secure. Skating is best on days like these, nothing intense, no stress, big bit of flatland looking across the English Channel . There were a few security rails on their sides, perfect for slightly apprehensive ollies (my forte after years of 'not really skating'). I cleared it a couple times, linked in a scrappy kickflip or two and generally felt like I was finding my feet again. On the last ollie before thinking about leaving, the board fires out and I land awkwardly enough to make my wrist look like a mangled slinky. It’s always the most inadvertent thing that does the most damage."
Jordan added "I feel completely crushed. It’s not like I don’t know skating is a massive risk when your hands are your job. I’ve spent the last few days learning bass lines on a keyboard and bass pedals. I owe it to my friends to make this work, and we’ll find a way to make it special."
Speaking of his fellow band mate singer Murray Macleod said "I was gutted when I heard about the accident. We’ve worked so hard to get to this position and we have been incredibly excited about the touring this autumn. Tom (The Xcerts drummer) and I talked briefly about finding a replacement bass player for the tours, but it was soon clear to us that THE XCERTS is about the noise the 3 of us make together, regardless of how many working limbs we have between us. Jordan and I have been best friends since we we’re 13 and I'm not about to sell him out".
You can expect some pretty unusual arrangements of Xcerts classics in the next 3 or 4 weeks and plenty of songs you may only hear on this tour. From then on it's all about the speed of recovery and a race for the Idlewild and Funeral for a Friend dates.
The Xcerts release new single 'Nightschool' on 5th October through Xtra Mile Recordings. Catch the band at the following gigs:

September
17th - Cavern, Exeter
18th - Inn On The Sqaure, Barnstaple
19th - Southsea Festival, Portsmouth
24th - The Tap House, Kidderminster with This City
25th - Unit, Southampton with This City
26th - Club Revolution, Peterborough with This City
27th - Fat Sam's, Dundee with This City
28th - Tunnels, Aberdeen with This City
29th - Oran Mor, Glasgow with This City
30th - Fibbers, York with This City
October
2nd - Rock City, Nottingham with This City
3rd - Academy 3, Birmingham with This City
4th - Bivouac@Scy, Lincoln with This City
5th - Audio, Brighton with This City
6th - Barfly, London with This City
7th - Roadhouse, Manchester with This City
9th - Mad Ferret, Preston with This City
SUPPORTING IDLEWILD
October
10th - Manchester University, Manchester
11th - Rescue Rooms, Nottingham
12th - Phoenix Centre, Exeter
13th - Arts Centre, Colchester
15th - Wedgewood Rooms, Southsea
16th - Electric Ballroom, London
18th - O2 Academy, Oxford
19th - Waterfront, Norwich
SUPPORTING FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND
20th - Empire, Middlesbrough
21st - Fat Sams, Dundee
22nd - Moshulu, Aberdeen
27th - Rock City, Nottingham
28th - Junction, Cambridge
29th - UEA, Norwich"