Damien dempseys ashbourne date
Damien Dempsey’s voice is Dublin yet wholly distinctive, almost clichéd to say it, but he is part of a rich bloodline of Irish singers from Luke Kelly to Ronnie Drew, Christy Moore to Andy Irvine. Their kin outside Ireland are Springsteen and Guthrie, Dylan and Marley.
Damien’s debut album in 2000, ‘They Don’t Teach This Shit in School’ set him apart as a unique and important voice, championed from an early stage in his career by Sinéad O’Connor and others. The follow-up, ‘Seize the Day’, released in 2003, marked the beginning of his relationship with producer John Reynolds, picking up many awards and leading to extensive international tours. Commercial and critical success continued with the release of the No 1 album ‘Shots’ in 2005, backed by Brian Eno, ‘To Hell or Barbados’ in 2007, which debuted at No 2 in the Irish charts. Damo had an incredible year, following the release of ‘Almighty Love’ in September 2012. He sold out his Sydney Opera House St Patrick’s Day show followed by headline shows across Australia. The summer saw a support slot with Bruce Springsteen at Kilkenny Stadium, and his own headline show at Dublin’s Iveagh Gardens.
Damien is an award-winning artist, having won several prestigious Irish Meteor Awards including Best Irish Male and Best Traditional Folk Award. His albums have topped the charts and gone Platinum, and he has been lauded by, among others, Rolling Stone, The Guardian, Billboard, MOJO and The Sunday Times. Fans include Brian Eno, Sinéad O’Connor, Bob Dylan and and Morrissey, who invited him to support him on his US tour.
Since the release of his last album, ‘It’s All Good” The Best of’, Damien’s creativity has found other outlets also. One notable project was with Irish graffiti artist Maser, on a project entitled ‘They Are Us’. This was sparked by Dempsey’s lyrics, and involved the painting of his words on derelict buildings in Dublin. Sales of the limited edition prints raised funds for The Simon Community.
Damien also made his acting debut in the Irish feature film ‘Between The Canals’. His music is also proving very much in demand for soundtracks, with ‘Sing All Your Cares Away’ featured in the BAFTA Award winning film ‘Tyrannosaur’, while he contributed to Irish films ‘Stalker’ and ‘King of the Travellers’.
DAMIEN DEMPSEY
The Pillo Hotel, Ashbourne
Friday 3rd October
Doors 7.30pm; Show 8.30pm
Tickets €28 (including booking fee) from www.ticketmaster.ie and The Pillo Hotel (01) 8356 800.TextDamien