Ginger Wildheart’s team have issued a statement following the sequence of events that were triggered by an altercation with a fan on Saturday night at his solo gig in Ballymena's Diamond Rock Club.
“It is with regret that due to serious ongoing issues with Ginger Wildheart's mental health, we will be unable to fulfil any scheduled live appearances in the very near future,” they say of the decision to pull upcoming Manchester and London dates. “Ginger is currently hospitalised and receiving around the clock care and is in the safest possible place. We ask that you please respect the privacy of Ginger, and his family and friends at this difficult time.”
Ginger revealed on Twitter yesterday that he’d been sectioned after attempting to take his own life. He also confirmed that he’d spent a night in the cells following the incident at the show.
According to a Diamond Rock Club eyewitness, the “gig started well and normally enough, though from the start I didn’t think he was fully on his game. His between song chats/rambles became increasingly tangential and lengthy, and eventually he pretty much lost the crowd.
"There was a bit of an exchange between Ginger and an audience member who had asked for ‘more songs’. His mood noticeably dropped, and when the gig eventually finished - it seemed to me that he'd only played about nine or ten songs over a very long set - he found the guy with whom he’d had the exchange, and some kind of altercation ensued. Bizarre. I left shortly afterwards but I believe the police were called and that's how Ginger ended up spending the night in a cell. The venue is a great place that normally never experiences any trouble."