The Wurzels suddenly end gig as band members fall ill in sweltering heat

15 July 2025, 14:50

The Wurzels are taken down by the heat but come roaring back.

The Wurzels have been touring for six decades now and they're still going strong, but they were forced to end a live show abruptly thanks to the unusually hot British summer we're enjoying.

The band were playing the Party at the Palace stage in Wells, Somerset, on Saturday (July 12), when members Pete Budd and Tommy Banner left the stage to receive medical treatment before the planned end of the show.

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"Following an extremely hot show last weekend, but both Pete and I appear to have fully recovered from sun and heat exhaustion," Tommy said in a post on Facebook.

"Up on stage there was no air moving and we were facing straight into the direct, unobstructed rays of a very strong sun. ☀️🥵"

He continued: "Personally, I have to say a big thank you to the Security lads who looked after me so well after they took me into a cool room behind the Stage, and then to the nurse, I think called Laura, all of them getting my temperature back down to normal before being allowed to go home in our bus.

The Wurzels ORIGINAL PROMO FILM "Combine Harvester" No1 June 12th 1976

"Thank you all for your kind messages of concern, we're now well rested, refreshed and ready to go!🎶😁"

The band later confirmed to the BBC that they were now fit, well and ready to play their next show just a couple of days later.

Banner joined the fledgling group in 1967 and is still the band's accordion player, pianist and singer today.

Budd first joined as a stand-in player for Reg Quantrill in 1972, and in 1974 became the group's full-time frontman, replacing founding member Adge Cutler who had died at the age of 43.

The Wurzels 'I Am A Cider Drinker' 2007 Official Video!!!

As well as Banner and Budd, the current lineup includes, Sedge Moore on bass, Lee Delamere on drums, and occasionally Louie "Gribble" Nicastro and Dan "Dribble" Lashbrook on keyboards.

Hailing from Nailsea, Somerset, The Wurzels' debut single 'Drink Up thy Cider' was a novelty hit in 1966, reaching number 45 in the charts and turning the band into cult heroes.

They went on to score major commercial success, including the chart topping 'The Combine Harvester', based on Melanie's 'Brand New Key', and the number three hit 'I Am A Cider Drinker, based on George Baker Selection's 'Paloma Blanca'.