Nealo announces Button Factory gig to mark debut album anniversary

Acclaimed Dublin rapper Nealo has announced a new gig at The Button Factory to celebrate the first anniversary of his debut album, All The Leaves Are Falling.

One of Irish hip-hop's breakout acts, the artist will play songs off of the ten-track album released in October of last year when the stage lights go off on October 29th, 2021.

Taking influences from Chicago's jazz-influenced rap scene, Nealo fused that genre with R&B and soul to deliver a powerful album about tackling universal themes for young people in Ireland: emigration, substance abuse and the loss of loved ones. The effort earned him a Choice Music Prize nomination in 2020 and a spot on Hot Press' Hot for 2021 list.

Hot Press' Lucy O'Toole enthused about the record, writing that, "Nealo marks himself as a unique force in homegrown hip-hop – an emissary from an emerging generation in Ireland that no longer wants to hide from its pain."

Speaking to Hot Press back in November, Nealo touched on many of these issues.

"There’s a stigma attached to talking about loss and grief – as an Irish male especially," he said.

"As Irish people, we tend not to really discuss those things as much. That’s why I think we have such a high suicide rate here, and such a high level of emigration. We tend to shy away from speaking about the things that are inevitable in life – like death."

Tickets for Nealo's anticipated show at The Button Factory go on sale at 9am this Friday, June 2 at ticketmaster.ie for €20.

You can listen to All The Leaves are Falling from the rapper's Bandcamp below: