Matt McBriar – one half of Belfast electronic music duo Bicep – has revealed that he underwent surgery last week to remove a non-cancerous brain tumour.

In a statement posted on Bicep’s social media channels, it’s revealed that doctors found a significant tumour on the pituitary gland of his brain following tests. It was caught relatively early, however, and McBriar details what could have happened if it were missed for much longer.

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“Towards the end of 2023, I got some intense localised headaches matched with a weird fatigue that felt new,” he recalls. “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. 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.”

McBriar says he’s been through “many, many rounds of hospital appointments and tests since”, and underwent surgery on 9 August, which he says “went well”. He is currently recovering in hospital at the time of writing.

“I decided to carry on living life and playing shows as normal and it was personally important to keep my mind busy!” he adds.

He goes on: “I’d like to say a huge thank you to all the amazon 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 incredibly fast and direct. Our healthcare system is very precious and worth fighting for!”

McBriar adds that while he is in recovery, his bandmate Andy Ferguson will be performing Bicep shows solo “until further notice”.

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Forthcoming Bicep shows include sets at the UK’s Creamfields festival, The Brooklyn Mirage, San Francisco’s Portola, and Philadelphia’s Making Time. 

For a full list of upcoming dates, head to Bicep’s website.

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