As you know, ARCTIC has been planning a cross-continental expedition with French band Bruxelles, touring across both Canada and Europe this September and October. We’ve spent this whole year working towards this goal with great anticipation.

Our European tour fundraiser was a great success, and we’re extremely grateful to everyone involved. The Gentle Infidels, Danny Echo, and We Landed On The Moon! put on amazing performances. We raised more than we had expected, and the great atmosphere and your enthusiasm that night helped inspire us at a time when we really needed it.

We have run into a few challenges over the past few months. In June, Marcus’s father died after a brief illness. In July, Bruxelles learned they would be unable to join us on the Canadian portion of the tour. And then in August, personal reasons forced our drummer Rob to leave the band, one month before the scheduled start of our tours. The stress and logistical difficulties of these events brought us very close to the point of canceling our fall plans entirely.

After much reflection and with encouragement from others, we have decided to do whatever it takes to keep our European tour. So we are very pleased to be bringing Niko Friesen (Kelly Rowland, Marcy Playground, Hannah Georgas, Adrienne Pierce) on board to drum with us in France, and are excited to be working with him on this adventure.

While we will still be touring Europe in October, we have had to postpone our September dates in Canada. We want to bring you only the best possible performances and we will need more time to prepare. We’ll be back to see you as soon as we can.

We’re overwhelmed by the support of our fantastic friends and fans who have been there for us, and have learned a lot about our own drive and dedication. We’re more determined than ever to take ARCTIC to Europe for this terrific opportunity to tour with Bruxelles. We’re excited about all the new people we’re going to meet, and the great stories, photos and videos we’ll be able to share with you. And we can’t wait to see what happens next.

Thank you.

Kirsten Starcher and Marcus Martin