Florence And The Machine Cancels Tour Dates For Vocal Rest

European fans of Florence and the Machine will be missing out on two scheduled performances this week, but the sacrifice should hopefully save lead singer Florence Welch’s powerful voice.

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The band was forced to cancel shows at the Benicassim Festival in Spain on Thursday and the Optimus Alive fest in Portugal on Saturday after Welch was advised by doctors to rest her vocal cords. In a note posted on the band’s website Wednesday, the singer apologized to fans and offered an explanation for the Grammy-nominated group’s absence.

“Hello everyone, thank you so much for all your messages of support, yes it’s true.. it finally happened, I’ve lost my voice,” she wrote. “I've sustained a vocal injury and been told I cannot sing for a week ... seriously I felt something snap, it was very frightening. Unfortunately this means I will not be able to perform at Benicassim and Optimus Alive festival this weekend ... I am so so sorry. I'm so sorry to all the fans, I was desperate to still perform, but was told without question not to, so as not to do permanent damage ... I hope I can make it up to you in the future, have an amazing time .. .yours croakily Florence.”

Florence and the Machine is next scheduled to hit the stage on July 20 at Deer Lake Park in Burnaby, British Columbia. As of press time, the show is still expected to continue.

The English rockers recently added an additional date to their U.S. tour, slated for July 26 at the Wells Fargo Theater in Denver. The show was booked after their July 25 gig at the Red Rocks Amphitheater had completely sold out.