Alphaville replace Bonnie Tyler as Welsh singer pulls out after surgery
Għaxaq festival organisers find replacement headline act within hours
Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler was forced to cancel her headline performance at Għaxaq's Summer Lust music festival later this month after undergoing emergency intestinal surgery in Portugal.
Festival organisers said she will be replaced by the iconic German synth-pop band Alphaville on May 22.
Tyler was rushed to hospital in Faro, Portugal, for emergency surgery on May 6. Festival organisers said that while the operation was successful, the singer’s medical team had advised that she “cannot perform for the foreseeable future”.
Għaxaq Music Events revealed they had secured Alphaville as the replacement headliner “within hours of the news”.
Renowned for global 80s anthems like Forever Young and Big in Japan, Alphaville will bring their full band show to Malta as part of their 2026 international tour.
"Our priority was ensuring that the thousands of fans expected for Day 2 of Summer Lust would not be disappointed," a festival spokesperson said.
"We are incredibly grateful to Alphaville for stepping in at such short notice, and our thoughts and best wishes for a speedy recovery remain with Bonnie Tyler."
Alphaville will be supported by Glen Vella and his band. Special guests for the night will be Gaia and Matt Black. Opening Act are Project, while DJ Sue will be closing the night.
General entrance for Alphaville concert will be against a donation in aid of Dar Bjorn, while those who opt for VIP or seated tickets can buy their tickets here.
Festival organisers referred all Bonnie Tyler concert ticket holders to the Summerlust Music Festival Facebook page, where they can either opt to exchange their tickets for the Alphaville concert, exchange them for Kim Wilde’s concert scheduled for May 15 or opt for a refund.