“Because it is my neck and brain, our hands are tied”: Phoebe Lunny reveals neck fracture and "acute brain injury" forcing Lambrini Girls to pull out of Coachella

Phoebe Lunny of The Lambrini Girls playing a surf green guitar on the shoulders of a person outdoors in a crowd at a festival, Dog Day Afternoon Festival 2023 at Crystal Palace Park
(Image credit: Lorne Thomson/Getty Images)

Eagle-eyed ticket holders for Coachella this year may have noticed the sudden withdrawal of The Lambrini Girls from the lineup. It’s now come to light that this is due to lead vocalist, guitarist, and frontwoman Phoebe Lunny sustaining a neck fracture and “acute brain injury.”

The Brighton-based two-piece, made up of Lunny and bassist Lilly Macieira, are known for their high-energy punk and were due to play six weeks of shows, including two weekends at Coachella between 10-12th and 17-19th April and later across North America.

Phoebe addressed fans, “To all American ticket holders: it’s dark times, especially in the states.

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"There are so many good folks who are carving out community and lifting each other up in the face of fascism. Making space for subversion and resistance is at the core of what this band is about.

“Seeing people of all ages, genders and backgrounds come together to mosh, lift each other up, chant, cry, scream in both parts joyful and angry, is my greatest joy.

“We have received quite a lot of messages re coachella, we are so gutted guys. We want to be there so badly. If it was a broken leg, I would do a Dave Grohl and play it.

“This isn't something we are taking lightly and we are really sad. We hope and pray there's some universe we get to play next year instead. Because it is my neck and brain, our hands are tied for now, but I'm lucky and expect a speedy recovery thank fuck lol. Thank you for always showing up for us, Phoebe”

The North American dates have been rescheduled and are due to kick off again on 16th June at Warsaw in Brooklyn, according to the official lambrinigirlsband.co.uk website. While the pair will miss Coachella this year, Phoebe hopes they’ll get a chance to perform in 2027.

She also took to Instagram to confirm to fans that the UK/EU dates starting 20th May at Bearded Theory Festival and onwards are planned to go ahead.

While we're not totally sure how Lunny sustained her injuries, she said it started with a misdiagnosis in Australia and late treatment, and she is now on doctors' orders not to fly or perform for six weeks.

Dan Mold
News contributor

Dan Mold has worked in publishing since 2011 and has been the deputy editor of some the UK’s favorite photography magazines. In addition to cameras, he has a strong passion for music and is an expert on all things guitar.

Frequently swapping out pickups, soldering in new capacitors and tinkering to find the perfect tone – he’s become the go-to guy in his family when it comes to changing guitar strings, adjusting truss rods and intonation. For all things guitar, Dan’s your man!

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