Bicep star Matt McBriar has revealed that he is currently in hospital recovering from brain surgery after discovering he had a rare tumour on his pituitary gland.
The Northern Irish electronic musician who is one half of the DJ duo Bicep, also containing Andrew Ferguson, revealed on that he first discovered there was a problem when he started having headaches.
‘Towards the end of 2023, I got some intense localised headaches matched with a weird fatigue that felt new.
‘I got several blood tests in spring 2024 which came back indicating that something was wrong, so my GP arranged an MRI followed by a CT scan.
‘Unfortunately, they told me they had discovered a large, and pretty rare Craniopharyngioma tumour on my pituitary gland (in my brain). The good news is firstly, it’s almost certainly not cancerous and secondly, I’ve caught it in the earlier stages of damage.
‘I’d been very lucky to get those initial blood tests followed by an MRI. Had it been much longer I might’ve lost some eyesight and a load of other problems due to the size and position of the tumour pressing on my optic nerves.
‘I’ve been through many many rounds of hospital appointments and tests since and finally had surgery on 9th of August.’
He revealed that he wanted to keep performing to keep busy but has now had the surgery.
‘I decided to carry on living life and playing shows as normal and it was personally important to keep my mind busy!
‘The operation went well and I’m currently recovering in hospital. Recovery will be at least 6-8 weeks and a long road of aftercare but I’m feeling incredibly grateful and lucky.’
He went on to thank the people who took care of him during this time.
‘I’d like to say a huge thank you to all the amazing consultants, surgeons, doctors and nurses at the NHS who have looked after me and been so amazing, kind and empathetic.
‘The support I’ve received has been incredible, I can’t say this enough. Appointments were arranged with sometimes only hours’ notice and communication was incredibly fast and direct.
‘Our healthcare system is very precious and worth fighting for!’
Fans rushed to support the creator of the hit songs Glue, Atlas and Apricots. ‘So much love to you Matt. You’re an absolute trooper and will boss the recovery xx ❤️❤️,’ said Missbeckygarner.
‘What a trooper 💪 Wishing you all the best Matt, get well soon!! ❤️,’ replied veeerooniek.
‘Huge ❤️ for all the kind words and support! Means a lot!’ replied Bicep to the various comments.
In the announcement post, Matt added that his co-producer will be performing on his own until he is out of recovery.
‘Whilst I am in recovery Andy will be performing upcoming shows as Bicep solo until further notice. Thanks for understanding.
‘Finally, a heartfelt thanks to my family, friends and work colleagues who have been my absolute rock through this behind the scenes. Love you all. Matt X’
Bicep is set to perform at Creamfields Festival on August 22 and has dates set for Canada and the US in September.
