Bicep’s Matt McBriar reveals brain tumour surgery
Matt McBriar, one half of dance music duo Bicep, has announced he is receiving treatment for a “large and pretty rare” brain tumour.
The Belfast-born producer posted about his condition on his Instagram account.
He said a non-cancerous tumour had been found on his pituitary gland in his brain.
He said he had surgery on 9 August, that it had gone well and he was recovering in hospital.
Getty Images Matt McBriar and Andrew Ferguson standing at the 2021 Brit AwardsGetty Images
McBriar with the other half of Bicep, Andrew Ferguson, at the 2021 Brit Awards
McBriar with the other half of Bicep, Andrew Ferguson, at the 2021 Brit Awards
“Towards the end of 2023, I got some intense localised headaches matched with a weird fatigue that felt new,” McBriar said.
“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.”
He said it was at this stage the craniopharyngioma tumour was discovered.
“The good news is firstly, it’s almost certainly not cancerous and secondly, I’ve caught it in the earlier stages of damage,” he added.
“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.”
The duo performing at Coachella festival in California in 2017
He said he had “decided to carry on living life and playing shows as normal and it was personally important to keep my mind busy” during the initial treatment.
He said the post-surgery recovery would take six to eight weeks “and a long road of aftercare but I’m feeling incredibly grateful and lucky”.
Belfast-born/London-based duo Bicep – McBriar and Andy Ferguson – are childhood friends who bonded over a shared love of dance music.
They have been gigging and playing live for more than a decade, and have become one of the biggest names in both underground and mainstream dance music.
McBriar said Ferguson would continue performing upcoming shows as Bicep solo until further notice.