June 3, 2002 — Silverchair have cancelled all of their upcoming concert plans due to further deterioration in the health of the band's lead singer and guitarist, Daniel Johns. As previously announced, Johns is suffering from a severe case of reactive arthritis. The condition's primary symptoms are chronic swelling of the joints resulting in impaired movement and extreme pain.

Those holding tickets to the band's sold-out New York and London dates over the next two weeks will be offered full refunds from the point of purchase, as will ticket holders to the Sydney concert which was postponed last week. The band was also scheduled to perform a series of shows in the U.S., Canada, and Europe, including several major festival appearances, in the coming months. All of these dates, without exception, have now been cancelled until Johns has fully recovered.

"I am truly sorry that I am not able to do the touring we had planned for so long," said Johns. "I apologize for the inconvenience these cancellations will cause. I am doing everything humanly possible to try and get well, but lately things have just kept getting worse."

"These cancellations are a major disappointment to the band," said the group's manager, John Watson. "The guys were really looking forward to finally getting out there and playing shows. However, the rapid decline in Daniel's health over the last two weeks in particular has simply made this physically impossible for him."

Johns contracted reactive arthritis late last year. In the majority of cases, the condition only lasts for approximately three months. New medical tests, however, have revealed underlying complications which appear to be preventing Johns from fighting off the virus which triggers this form of arthritis. His doctors remain certain that the condition is not life threatening and that he will eventually make a complete recovery.

Silverchair's new album, Diorama, which marks the trio's Atlantic Records debut, remains slated for U.S. release July 30th. Johns is expected to be able to perform some limited promotion duties for the album. For the time being, however, all travel has been specifically ruled out by his doctors, who have imposed a strict treatment regimen.

The new release:
Diorama debuted at #1 in Silverchair's native Australia, where it remains in the top ten two months after its release. The band's first new album in three years, it marks their fourth collection to enter the charts at #1, earning Silverchair the distinction of having more top-charting debuts than any other Australian artist.

The first single from the new album, "The Greatest View," was a #1 smash in Australia and is already garnering enthusiastic out-of-the-box response from alternative radio stations across the U.S.

The Newcastle, Australia-based trio -- singer/guitarist Daniel Johns, bassist Chris Joannou, and drummer Ben Gillies -- recorded the collection in the fall of 2001 at Sydney's Studio 301 with producer David Bottrill (Tool, Peter Gabriel, King Crimson).