David Gray to celebrate 30th anniversary of his debut album with 4 nights of Dublin shows

David Gray has announced a 30th anniversary celebration of his debut album, A Century Ends, with a series of Dublin and London shows set for February 2024.

The performances will exclusively feature songs from the album and his follow-up, Flesh, with original line-up of Gray, Neill Maccoll and Craig McClune. The iconic singer-songwriter will take to the stage at Whelan’s, Dublin for four consecutive nights of unforgettable shows from February 1-4, 2024.

Tickets for the gigs are available pre-sale from 10.00am on Wednesday, December 6 and on general sale from 10.00am on Friday, December 8 at the link here.

Gray found widespread fame with his multi-platinum-selling and Ivor Novello-winning album White Ladder; however, six years before that, a 24-year-old Gray released his debut, A Century Ends, as a then-unknown songwriter.

White Ladder remains the biggest selling album in the nation’s history (now at 20x Platinum), while Gray’s debut went largely unnoticed upon its release in 1994, aside from making a fleeting chart impact in Ireland.

Yet 30 years later, A Century Ends still remains an important part of Gray’s discography — the opening track ‘Shine’ is a regular feature on his live show setlist. 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 took flight.

The final show of his 30th anniversary dates arrives precisely 30 years to the day since he first played the iconic Dublin venue. Gray’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.

In 1994, the singer showed up to the venue 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. It was the night when the enduring shared love between Gray and Ireland first began.

He has since played many unforgettable shows in Ireland including Marlay Park, Dublin Castle, Musgrave Park, and last year’s three-night stand at the 3Arena – but will bring it back to his roots this coming February.

The 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.

Of the forthcoming shows, Gray shares, “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!”

Tickets for David Gray’s 30 anniversary performances at Whelan’s, Dublin go on sale this Friday, December 8 from 10.00am at the link here.