Damien Rice announces Paris date

Further to our story last week of Damien Rice's involvement in the 'Free Aung San Suu Kyi Campaign', Rice has announced a solo show at Paris' La Trianon venue on Thursday, June 30.

Sadly for Irish fans, Rice has confirmed that he won't be doing any hometown shows.

Tickets for the London Palladium concert on June 20 are on sale now from gigsandtours.com, priced from £22.

All profits from the ticket sales are being donated to the AAPPB (Assistance Association of Political Prisoners in Burma), with proceeds from his new single, 'Unplayed Piano', going to US Campaign for Burma and the Burma Campaign UK.

Discussing his involvement in the San Suu Kyi campaign, Rice says: “I’ve been busy for the last month recording and helping to organise video footage of Burma with management and friends.”

“I don’t like to interfere with what’s going on in the world, but when someone invites me to help them out, and I’m available and interested, then I like to lend a hand. It’s actually been a wonderful way to slowly step back into the recording process again, after such a long time, and it’s been a very fulfilling experience to record a song for someone else, especially someone as inspiring as Aung San Suu Kyi.”

A typically heart rending ballad, it features such couplets as: “An unplayed piano still holds a tune/With a lock on the lid in a stale, stale room/Maybe it’s not that hard/Maybe they could release me…let the people decide.”

Damien Rice and Lisa Hannigan's 'Unplayed Piano' hits stores on June 19.