For Those I Love announces “only headline show of this year” at Vicar Street

For Those I Love (David Balfe) has announced his “only headline show of this year” at Dublin’s Vicar Street on December 11.

“I can’t easily capture what Vicar Street has done for me over the years,” he wrote on Instagram. “But it’s Lankum’s 'Billy O'Shea' in 2017. It’s being held during Damo shows. It’s needing to claw your way out of the pits and putting on 'This Is' by Aslan as Christy gives everyone in the venue a reason to believe. It’s Barry’s primal roar when I won the Choice there.”

“Anyway, the journey has started and I’ll see you there.”

Balfe will be joined by Irish rock band Black Nylon.

His music pairs spoken-word poetry with electronic and dance beats.

He released his self-titled debut album in 2021, which won him a Choice Music Prize. The record was a tribute to his late friend, Paul Curran.

His second studio album, Carving the Stone, dropped in August 2025. It delivers a critique of post-Celtic Tiger Dublin, addressing issues like tech gentrification, social stasis and the housing crisis.

“I knew I needed to take steps in a different direction,” Balfe said, speaking to Hot Press about his latest record. “I just didn’t know what that direction was…”

“I really tried to instill a sense of hope towards the end of this record, to try and unwrap the darker passages that are there and maybe map a pathway out.”

Tickets for his Vicar Street show go on sale Friday at 10 am here.

 

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