Flyte have told fans they’re “heartbroken” after their American visas were denied at the last minute ahead of their tour, meaning they’ve lost $20,000 (£14,800).
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Taking to Instagram yesterday (October 3), the London indie band shared news with fans, writing: “Feeling a bit heartbroken here. Our American visa has just been denied at the last minute and we can no longer play the upcoming US and Canadian shows. We love America and we’ve been coming over for years now with no problems, it’s a country we’ve invested a lot of our soul into.
“Please hang on to your tickets – we are reapplying for a new visa and rescheduling the dates next for Spring, we’re looking at April.”
They went on to note that those who couldn’t make the rescheduled dates could have their tickets refunded, and explained they themselves had lost out on tens of thousands in the visa application process.
“It costs a vast amount to apply for the US visa and in having to reschedule,” they explained, adding: “We’ve lost over $20,000, which in today’s touring climate and for a band our size is pretty catastrophic as you can imagine.
“So we’ve put a song up on Bandcamp that you can put any amount of money towards to access, with the hope that, via your kindness, we can keep the train on the tracks.
The show must go on.” You can check out the song here.
The difficulties artists face when trying to secure a visa were highlighted last year, after US visa petition fees for international touring musicians were increased by over 120 per cent, massively impacting musicians looking to tour in the country.
Last April saw the petition-based O and P visas surpass the $1000 (£797) for the first time ever. O visas apply to those deemed as “extraordinary” talent in the business, entertainment, sports and arts sectors, and enable applicants to work in the US for up to three years. Those rose by 129 per cent, originally costing $460 (£366) and then totalling $1,055 (£841).
P visas, which allow artists to work in the country for a shorter time frame, were increased by 121 per cent, from $460 (£366) to $1,015 (£809).
Although the inflated fees were staggering, initially, the increases were meant to be even higher, with plans to jump fees by a further $600 (£478), which would have made it a 250 per cent rise.
The move was criticised by the National Independent Venue Association and by the #LetTheMusicMove campaign, which deemed the changes “crippling” for artists. “In the midst of the ongoing cost of living crisis and with the live sector still recovering from the impacts of COVID-19, it would make performing in the world’s biggest music market unaffordable for many emerging and mid-level artists,” they explained last year.
As well as backlash from The National Independent Venue Association and the #LetTheMusicMove campaign, criticism regarding the inflated fees also came from numerous artists, who highlighted the toll it would take on their careers.
Speaking to NME last year, former Easy Life frontman Murray Matravers explained how “bleak” a picture there already was without the “crippling” massive visa price hike.
“We just couldn’t afford it – it’s literally as simple as that,” said Matravers, shortly after the Leicester band were forced to scrap their US tour due to “some insane costs” back in 2023. “We’ve done a proper tour of the US once before with a little pretend tour before that, all pre-COVID. It’s all changed so much. The cost of visas is crazy, you have to hire a legal representative to do all the forms and their fees have gone right up.”
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