Unfortunate news for Directioners who found themselves at the SSE Arena in Belfast this evening: the gig was cancelled at the 11th hour after Liam Payne took ill.

The promoter took to the stage - as detailed in the video below - to announce to the confused crowd that the show would not be taking place, urging them to keep their tickets.

"The show tonight has been cancelled," he said. "Liam has been taken ill, and while it is not serious, he is unable to perform tonight. A further statement will be made in the morning. The band apologise to all fans."

It is believed that it is the first time that the boyband - who are going on hiatus in March - have cancelled a gig in such a manner. They are also scheduled to play Belfast tomorrow night and Thursday, before travelling to Newcastle for a run of English dates at the weekend.

At the time of writing, his band members Louis Tomlinson, Harry Styles and Niall Horan had tweeted their apologies to fans: