David Gray- A Century Ends Whelans 1st-4th Feb 2024

PTH2009

https://www.whelanslive.com/event/david-gray/

David Gray celebrates the 30th anniversary of his debut album a century ends with a series of shows in Dublin and London

Exclusively featuring songs from a Century Ends and the follow-up Flesh with the original line-up Gray, Neill MacColl & Craig McClune.

Tickets for the shows will go on general sale on Ticketmaster.ie from 10am on Friday, December 8th

PRAISE FOR A CENTURY ENDS:

“An assured debut… modern and traditional British folk styles with Morrisonesque fervour.” – Rolling Stone

“Gray grabs the listener with his poetic lyrics and takes off on an introspective ten-song ride through desperation, regret, lost love, and a longing for change.” – Allmusic

We all know that David Gray’s White Ladder proved to be the catalyst for huge critical and commercial success. As a multi-Platinum selling and Ivor Novello-winning album, the iconic release made David Gray a household name – a position he has since sustained more than 20 years later. But six years earlier, the then 24-year-old Gray was an undiscovered songwriter, having just released his debut album A Century Ends. Now, David Gray celebrates the 30th anniversary of the album’s release by announcing a series of intimate A Century Ends shows in Dublin and London.

Aside from making a fleeting chart impact in Ireland, A Century Ends went largely unnoticed upon its initial release. But with 30 years of wisdom, it’s now easy to recognise its significance within David’s discography. Opening track ‘Shine’ has become a regular part of his live shows in the years that followed, while other songs such as ‘Debauchery’, ‘Wisdom’ and ‘Birds Without Wings’ also possess the passionate vocal delivery, acute songcraft and surfeit of emotions that later connected with mainstream audiences as his career went global with White Ladder.

The A Century Ends shows will commence at Omeara in London on January 30 and will then head to Dublin for a four-night run at Whelan’s – the final show of these dates coming precisely 30 years to the day since David first played the storied venue. Tickets for the shows will go on general sale HERE from 10am on Friday, December 8th

David’s Whelan’s debut marked a significant turning point in his career, after he had spent much of the previous months touring England with little success. The gig had been DIY promoted by Donal Scannell, and RTÉ presenter Donal Dineen, known for his celebrated TV show No Disco. David arrived in a similar DIY fashion – with no tour manager, no sound engineer, and no backdrop – just his bandmates Neil MacColl (guitar) and Craig McClune (drums, playing with just one hand, having recently broken his arm) to find the place packed from wall-to-wall.

With the poet Pat Ingoldsby introducing David on stage, it was the night when the enduring shared love between David and Ireland first began. White Ladder remains the biggest selling album in the nation’s history (now a staggering 20x Platinum), while David’s many unforgettable shows in Ireland have included Marlay Park, Dublin Castle, Musgrave Park, and last year’s three-night stand at the 3Arena.

These new dates will see David reunited with Neill MacColl and Craig McClune, and the trio will perform songs exclusively from A Century Ends and its follow-up, 1994’s Flesh.

David says, “I’ve wanted to focus on A Century Ends for some time, and this feels like the right moment to do so. I think it’s a defining record in the same way that White Ladder was. It was my first record, and it tells the story of who I am just as vividly as White Ladder does. I also remember how those early gigs were so special. It’s going to be so intense – I might even revisit my 1994 look and bleach my hair blonde!”

PTH2009

As expected all dates sold out

PTH2009

Week from the first show of the tour in London then onto Dublin the next few nights

Hoping for a few of the hits but best not going in expecting it given the theme of this tour

Fanirish

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121666799#Comment_121666799

Expect no hits, strictly first two albums only

Exclusively featuring songs from a Century Ends and the follow-up Flesh with the original line-up Gray, Neill MacColl & Craig McClune.

PTH2009

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121666900#Comment_121666900

Disgraceful 😠😆

'Wisdom' and 'Made Up My Mind' are some songs

ergo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121666900#Comment_121666900

Is this based on solid info or interviews or speculation?

Would be nice to think there might be chance of a song or two from later on in the career...

PTH2009

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121686706#Comment_121686706

Exclusively featuring songs from a Century Ends and the follow-up Flesh with the original line-up Gray, Neill MacColl & Craig McClune.

https://www.whelanslive.com/event/david-gray/

Fanirish

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121686706#Comment_121686706

i was quoting the whelans website and his tour announcement.

ergo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121686941#Comment_121686941

Oops, thanks for that!

I think when I saw "David Gray" and "Whelan's" my mind went straight into ticket scramble, presale search mode...! Didn't read the details, apart from the A Century Ends bit, oh well, would love to hear Late Night Radio, still can't wait though!

PTH2009

First show of the tour is Tonight in London

Guess we'll know the answer if someone posts a setlist

PTH2009

Setlist is linked below, obviously don't click if you don't want to be spoiled

https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/david-gray/2024/omeara-london-england-63acc2cb.html

PTH2009

Was a good night even with a lot of event junkies wanting 'babylon'. A group of them upstairs particularly acting the ''bullish ****'

Very good gig and odd that 'Made Up My Mind' was left out His voice still sounds amazing. Wishing I got a ticket to those ' White Ladder Anniversary shows' a few years back

Hopefully he returns soon, enjoy all those going the next few nights

ergo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121711415#Comment_121711415

Agreed

Voice sounded great, still amazed that people will pay €60 for a gig and talk through a third of the songs, limited freebies or guest listers at this gig presumably so most paying, anyway a standing gig near a weekend it always happens

At least they actually shushed for the quiet songs

Some of the b sides I wasn't familiar with sounded really good too

munchkin_utd

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121712916#Comment_121712916

you'd wonder though is a portion of the problem that a certain demographic (so older, less going out, maybe kids on the scene) only meet their mates irregularily at the likes of a concert or a match so it is natural to try and catch up.

Tombo2001

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121760736#Comment_121760736

Would not have thought so - yappers are all demographics, as are the people who hold their phones up to record.

Tombo2001

Wasnt able to get tickets for this - but was in Whelans the first time he played these songs live, in Ireland anyway. There was such a buzz around David Gray gigs then, a little bit of a sense of 'this guy is far too good to playing venues this small, but lets enjoy it while it lasts'.

I remember the gig opening that evening with Clune playing the drum riff from Babylon and thinking, this sounds class.

Yeah Right

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121760736#Comment_121760736

This. People are just selfish, they have no qualms about inserting themselves into everyone else's lives without a single flying fcuk given about how negatively they impact those around them. Anywhere you're forced to spend extended periods of time with the general public, this sort of narcissistic, vainglorious and outright selfish behaviour is manifest everywhere. Public transport, airports, cinemas, concerts, hospital waiting rooms, fecking traffic, even......Chatting during a gig is the same as using your phone/taking a call in the pictures, or blaring music on the bus, or flying up the bus lane to skip traffic, or putting your bag in the overhead locker of row 3 on a plane when you're seated in row 14, or parking in the parent/child spaces at the supermarket when they've clearly no kids with them.

Mé féiners who just couldn't give a shite about anyone else bar the gormless idiot in the mirror. I take great pleasure in shaming these dopes when I can. More than once I've sat on someone's bag when they've refused to move it from the empty seat beside them on an otherwise-jam packed bus. "My bag's there"....."I know, and my arse is here....i've paid for a ticket for my arse so unless you can show me a ticket for your bag, that arse is going to sit here whether you move the bag or not"

PTH2009

More venues need to use those 'Phone lock cases'

It's fair game regarding phone usage