Cry Before Dawn announce upcoming retrospective album and Irish tour

Cry Before Dawn are set to celebrate the 40 years since signing their first record deal with CBS/Epic Records - with a new retrospective album and Irish tour in 2026.

Titled Songs That Got Away: 1984 - 1990, the record comes out on March 13 and will feature some of their earliest recordings as a band, available digitally for the first time ever, alongside other fan-favourites.

The release will be accompanied by an 11-date tour across Ireland, set to kick off in Kerry’s Mike The Pies on May 1 and warp up in Whelan;s on October 31, with stops in Limerick’s King’s John Castle, Laois’ Forest Fest, Belfast’s Limelight2 and more along the way.

Speaking of the early day recordings that make up Songs That Got Away: 1984 - 1990, guitarist Tony Hall said: “At that time, the process of recording music was very different to now. No laptops or digital, everything was analogue. Almost all of these songs were recorded as demos.

“Takes were all live,” he continued, “with vocals and a few overdubs added later. Demos were usually recorded and mixed in a matter of hours, whereas completing an album would take months. While the recordings may lack the polish that comes with months of rework and production, it is a snapshot of how songs ideas were developed and recorded back then."

March 2026 marks the 40th anniversary of the recording of their critically acclaimed debut album, Crimes of Conscience - spawning three hit singles in Ireland - ‘Gone Forever’, ‘The Seed That's Been Sown’ and the anthemic ‘Girl In The Ghetto’.

Tickets for Cry Before Dawn’s Irish tour are on sale now here. Find the full list of dates below: