Filth posted a message to fans explaining the cancelation. He wrote: The week we were due to receive our US performance visas truly was one of the worst weeks of my life, as it launched itself blazing into nightmare with the rotten news that the US tour was being cancelled. Believe you me, there is still no one more pissed off about this than me, over nothing more than a silly visa issue. Still, what can you do, the more you complain about the immigration laws, the less likely we are to get in next time we intend to tour?

Unfortunately there is no way of getting around this problem, whatever anybody says and believe you me we have tried vigorously through various official channels and at some expense, it is just a hard cold fact of entry into the US at the moment. So, better that we postpone/cancel than lead people on any further in the hope that Cradle will be making at least some of these current dates, including Canada, which comes cost-wise part and parcel of touring North America as a whole.

It truly is a royal nightmare, as the tour obviously took a lengthy time to route and organise, plus there are the other bands, booking agents, bus companies, local promoters, venues, venue staff and of course, our loyal fans in attendance to consider. Still, if it's any consolation at all, it does mean that there is a distinct possibility that when the visas are eventually processed, we will be able to come back to the States on a much longer tour, seeing as there was a huge amount of people on our Facebook page complaining about the band not playing anywhere near where they lived. Believe me when I say this, we hear you, and the next tour will take all these requests into ardent consideration. So, if you want Cradle to come to your country, town or city, make your sepulchral voice heard now� F**k it, speak to the local promoters if you have to!

And if this wasn't enough misery to unhappily digest, it was then followed by a horrid bout of flu. I had Pharyngitis, Toni had Laryngitis and the rest of the week was spent in the company of a high temperature, headache, earache, limb ache, all-else ache and a raging sore throat combination pack. On Valentine's Day, that most romantic evening of the year, having cancelled our posh dinner and movie date, we were both rolled in as many layers of clothing as was humanly possible to keep warm in bed. And we were still shivering through fever. Now, nigh on two weeks on and the final dregs of the chest infection that came with it are still airing themselves via a hacking great cough and a sinister, snivelling cold.