Perth family band The Murphy Brothers have made the regrettable decision to cancel their upcoming Lake Monger show in November as beloved singer Courtney continues his long-term battle with cancer.
The talented siblings have enjoyed performing as a unit throughout much of the former Australian Idol star’s fight with bowel cancer, scheduling rest between touring and recording to accommodate his ailing condition.
On Tuesday, the trio informed fans they would not be taking to the stage in the coming weeks.
“Hi everyone, we’re sorry to say the Lake Monger show on 15 November is cancelled,” a statement shared to social media read.
“As most of you are aware, brother Courtney has been battling stage four cancer for the last two and a half years, which involves fortnightly chemotherapy treatments. In order to continue our recording and live shows as much as we can, we schedule things on Courtney’s ‘good’ week.”
The band — comprising Courtney, Chris and Kieran — cited a change in their schedule as their reason for pulling the pin, with Courtney’s treatment naturally their priority.
“Every now and then for a number of different reasons that schedule changes which is what has happened here so the show would now be on the same week he receives chemo,” they continued.
“Because of this, he won’t have the energy to get through the show, and we wouldn’t dream of doing it without him.
“We know you’ll be disappointed, but we’re confident you’ll understand his health comes first. Everyone who bought tickets will get a full refund in the next few days and we will look to reschedule the show early in the New Year.
“Thanks for sticking with us, it really does mean the absolute world to us. xxxTMB”.
The Lake Monger Recreation Club event was billed as a “Billy Joel vs Elton John . . . Round 2!”, with the siblings planning to reprise last year’s show at the venue where the greatest hits of two iconic artists were performed.
Good friends and collaborators Clem and Gruss were set to support the band, along with Simon Styles on the saxophone.
Fans of the brothers have rallied to support them, with some even suggesting the group retain proceeds despite not being able to play.
“It would be lovely if everyone declined the refund and put the money towards Courtney’s health costs?” one fan wrote.
Another, who had witnessed last year’s Lake Monger performance, applauded the siblings for their commitment to each other.
“We caught your last show at Lake Monger and you were absolutely epic and hilarious. What a joy & what an inspiration you are! What a great brotherhood you all have,” they wrote.
Others sent their best wishes to Courtney and his family.
Speaking to PerthNow in October last year while receiving chemotherapy treatment at home, the father, 46, expressed his outlook towards his prognosis as brothers Kieran and Chris sat by his side.
“I’m not beating this, I’m just going to be as strong as long as I can, and that’s all I’m going to focus on, because there’s two truths happening at once,” Courtney said.
“One is, I’m going to pass away at some point, but I’ll deal with that when that comes. So right now, the other truth is I’m here, and I’m going to put out as much creative output as I possibly can with these two amazing human beings next to me.”
Audiences were first drawn to Courtney’s voice on Australian Idol as a third-place finisher in 2004, with Chris appearing on the national talent show two years later.
The Murphy Brothers have been performing together in some capacity for more than 30 years, and in September released the single Is This The World We Created?
It followed Whenever You’re Ready, released in July, and their January 2025 album Something In The Water.
Defiant in their desire to continue performing as a group, the band achieved a major milestone in December last year upon supporting “heroes” Crowded House at Red Hot Summer Tour festival in the Swan Valley.
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