Zutons say US tour scuppered by work visa delays

Liverpool band the Zutons have had to postpone a North America tour because of problems getting visas to work there.

The indie rock outift - whose 2006 song Valerie became a global hit Mark Ronson with Amy Winehouse - were due to fly out for their first gig in Toronto on Friday.

But in a statement on their social media accounts the band confirmed their work visas had not yet come through.

The post said members Dave McCabe, Abbie Harding and Sean Payne were "absolutely gutted" not to be able to start the tour as planned.

In their statement, the band said the visa issue meant they "can't legally play shows in the US".

They added: "To say we're disappointed is a massive understatement and we'll do all we can to schedule new shows at some point next year."

The post added that tickets would be refunded and the shows would hopefully be re-arranged for next year.

The Zutons were formed in Liverpool in 2002 and their breakthrough came in 2004 with the album Who Killed The Zutons?

It was produced by the Lightning Seeds' Ian Broudie and included Confusion and Pressure Point among its tracks.

The band's original of Valerie - reported to have been inspired by an American friend of McCabe's - peaked at number nine in the charts in 2006, before the Ronson-Winehouse version got to number two the following year.

The band's North America tour was due to include dates in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Franciso.

The US Citizenship and Immigration Services have been approached for comment.