Elvis Costello has cancelled a string of European dates following his announcement that he is in recovery from cancer surgery.

The musician revealed on his website he was informed of his diagnosis by his specialist, and that said specialist "had rarely, if ever, seen such a small but very aggressive cancerous malignancy that could be defeated by a single surgery." Initially, Costello believed that the three-week recovery from the surgery would mean he could go ahead with European tour dates - but alas, it wasn't to be.

"It was impossible to judge how this advisory would line up with the demands on a traveling musician, playing 90-minute to 2-hour plus performances on a nightly basis but by the time we reached the Edinburgh Playhouse, I was almost fooled into thinking that normal service had been resumed," said Costello.

The rest of the European tour - including a show tonight in Manchester - has been cancelled, as has tour dates in Croatia, Austria, Norway and Sweden have also been cancelled. However, Costello did promise that new music is on the way - so it's not a total loss.