Support Act

There was a single and mysterious support act whose name nobody seems to know…Now this is regretful as this singer/songwriter impressed greatly with his musical storytelling. His short set including a song about the hard working and low paid, an homage to Lennon’s ‘Norwegian Wood’ and a composition about drug-taking on a French beach. Lyrics were simple and intelligent with melodies that kept opening doors wide. His voice was natural and as liquid as a slow-flowing stream. I will try to establish who this guy was but in the meantime more images of his performance (and David Gray’s) are included ion the new gallery entries.

David Gray Biography

Gray was born in Sale, Cheshire, and grew up in Altrincham before moving with his family to Solva, Pembrokeshire. He went on to attend Carmarthenshire College of Art and Liverpool School of Art. Gray’s first two albums A Century Ends and Flesh were issued in 1993 and 1994 respectively and led to Gray becoming popular in folk-rock circles, but both failed in terms of commercial sales. In 1996 Gray released his third album, Sell, Sell, Sell. Despite critical acclaim, the album did not chart, but the song ‘Late Night Radio’ received some airplay on alternative UK radio stations. On the 1997 Mary Black album Shine, Gray contributed five songs.

1998–2002: White Ladder

The re-release of Gray’s fourth record album, White Ladder, in 2000 on ATO Records, brought him commercial success and critical attention. While his first three albums featured acoustic folk songs and guitar-based alternative rock, White Ladder introduced his now-trademark folktronic sound. The album included his best-known songs: ‘This Year’s Love’, ‘Babylon’, ‘Please Forgive Me’ and ‘Sail Away’. White Ladder was originally released on Gray’s own label IHT Records in November 1998. After its re-release, combined with the release and success of single ‘Babylon’, it sold 100,000 copies in Ireland alone, making it number one for six weeks, and according to a 2012 report was the biggest-selling album ever in that country. In June 2000, ‘Babylon’ hit No. 5 in the UK Singles Chart; it remains his biggest UK hit to date. In the United States, the album received a boost from jam-band leader Dave Matthews, who made it the first release by ATO Records, the record company he co-founded. ‘Babylon’ was also the first of three US chart entries for Gray to date.

The album was No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart, two years and five months after its original release, spending a total of 151 weeks on the chart. Aside from ‘Please Forgive Me’, which charted at No. 72 on the UK Singles Chart, all other single releases charted within the Top 20: the re-released ‘Please Forgive Me’ charted at number 18, and ‘Say Hello, Wave Goodbye’ and ‘Sail Away’ peaked at number 26. The year 2001 also saw the release of a rarities compilation of Gray’s early works, The EPs 1992-1994, as well as an album of newly-recorded previously unreleased songs, Lost Songs 95-98, both of which followed White Ladder into the Top 20 in the UK Albums Chart.

In November 2002, Gray released the follow-up to White Ladder, entitled A New Day at Midnight. The new release did not receive the same critical acclaim as its predecessor, but still went straight in at number 1, selling nearly 150,000 copies in its first week of release. It went on to achieve platinum status within a year, eventually being certified four times platinum overall, and was the second-biggest selling album by a UK artist in 2002, behind Pop Idol winner Will Young’s debut album From Now On. A New Day at Midnight produced two further UK Top 30 hits in ‘The Other Side’ and ‘Be Mine’ and a minor US hit with ‘Dead in the Water’.

Later Career

After a three-year hiatus which saw him wind down his recording and touring schedule due to exhaustion, Gray returned with his seventh album, Life in Slow Motion, in September 2005. Like its predecessor, it topped the UK Albums Chart in its first week of release. After the much-criticised A New Day at Midnight, Life in Slow Motion was hailed as a return to form by many critics. Lead single ‘The One I Love’ was a Top 10 hit in the UK in October 2005 and spent three months in the UK chart. Following the relative commercial failure of follow-up singles ‘Hospital Food’ and ‘Alibi’, Gray again went into hiatus during 2006. In March 2007, Gray released the compilation album Shine: The Best of the Early Years. On 7 July 2007, Gray performed with Damien Rice at the UK leg of Live Earth at Wembley Stadium in London. Gray released a compilation CD of live covers entitled A Thousand Miles Behind exclusively through his official website on 8 October that year on CD and digital download. On 13 November, Gray released the album Greatest Hits, which includes many of his best known songs as well as two new songs, including the lead single ‘You’re the World to Me’.

On 28 May 2009, Gray announced that a new album, entitled Draw the Line, would be released on 14 September in the UK and on 22 September in the United States. The album features guest appearances by Annie Lennox and Jolie Holland. The album’s first single, ‘Fugitive’, was released on 7 September 2009, coinciding with the start of an expansive world tour. On 19 September, Gray performed his self-proclaimed first pool-side concert at the Rooftop Pool at The Colonnade Hotel in Boston for the Mix 104.1 End of Summer Bash. Gray performed songs from the new album, including ‘Fugitive’, ‘Draw the Line’ and ‘Jackdaw’.

In an interview for Hot Press, released on 3 December 2009, Gray revealed to Jackie Hayden that he was working on his next album, Foundling. Gray said that one of the tracks would be called ‘The Old Chair’, which, according to Gray, “features just a drum kit and me on my Steinway piano. It’s very quiet.” Foundling was released in the UK on 16 August. and in the United States on 17 August. Foundling is a double album: the first CD consists of 11 new songs and the second consists of eight previously unreleased songs. A ninth previously unreleased song is included when Foundling is ordered through the iTunes store.

David Gray signed a global agreement with Kobalt Label Services for the release of his 10th studio album, Mutineers. His first in four years, it was recorded at The Church Studios in London and produced by Andy Barlow (Lamb). The release took place on 17 June 2014. It was announced that Gray would support the new release with a North American tour through April and May, followed by an eight-date UK tour in June and July that included a show at the Royal Albert Hall in London

2019 Album: Gold In A Brass Age

Brand new album by the acclaimed, multi-million selling singer songwriter, David Gray. Gray will tour the UK for the first time in three years. The headline tour, commencing at Birmingham’s Symphony Hall on June 23 will include a show at London’s Royal Albert Hall on June 24. The dates follow a run of sold-out US shows across April and May and three sold-out intimate shows earlier this year at Westminster’s Emmanuel Centre. Recorded in Church Studios, London and produced by Andy Barlow (Lamb), whose brief was to not let Gray “make the same record I’ve made before.” The result is an album that seems to fizz with the joy of its own assembly and finds Gray steering into unfamiliar territory while cultivating a pugnacious but respectful relationship with his own history. “I know I’ve done something here that has an authority that is inspiring me and I don’t have to worry about my past or any of that. The lovely thing about this is we’ve had the time to experiment, and it’s been wonderful,” says Gray. David Gray captured the world’s attention with his breakout multi-platinum hit White Ladder, the first of three No.1 UK albums, earning him both Brit and Grammy nominations. He has continued to build on this success, with recent albums Draw The Line (2009) and Foundling (2010), both reaching the Billboard Top 10 in the US.

World Tour 2019

March 29, 2019 Birmingham Symphony Hall
March 30, 2019 York Barbican
March 31, 2019 Glasgow Royal Concert Hall
March 2,  2019 Belfast Waterfront
March 4,  2019 Castlebar Royal Theatre
March 5,  2019 Dublin Bord Gais Theatre

April 6,  2019 Dublin Bord Gais Theatre
April 14, 2019 Riverside Theatre Perth, Australia
April 16, 2019 Enmore Theatre Sydney, Australia
April 17, 2019 Enmore Theatre Sydney, Australia
April 19, 2019 Palais Theatre Melbourne, Australia
April 20, 2019 Palais Theatre Melbourne, Australia
April 22, 2019 Bluesfest Byron Bay, Australia
April 30, 2019 TivoliVredenburg - Grote Zaal Utrecht, Netherlands

May 01, 2019 RBB Sendesaal Berlin, Germany
May 02, 2019 De Roma Antwerp, Belgium
May 04, 2019 Carlswerk Victoria Cologne, Germany
May 06, 2019 Store Vega Copenhagen, Denmark
May 07, 2019 Sentrum Scene Oslo, Norway
May 08, 2019 Cirkus Stockholm, Sweden
May 19, 2019 Higginson Park Marlow, United Kingdom
May 24, 2019 Revention Music Center Houston , TX, United States
May 25, 2019 ACL Live Moody Theater Austin, TX, United States
May 26, 2019 Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie Grand Prairie, TX, United States
May 28, 2019 Coca-Cola Roxy Atlanta, GA, United States
May 30, 2019 The Anthem Washington, DC, United States
May 31, 2019 Metropolitan Opera House Philadelphia, PA, United States

June 01, 2019 The Wang Theatre Boston, MA, United States
June 04, 2019 Beacon Theatre New York, NY, United States
June 05, 2019 Count Basie Theatre Red Bank, NJ, United States
June 07, 2019 Sony Centre for the Performing Arts Toronto, ON, Canada
June 08, 2019 Akron Civic Theatre Akron, OH, United States
June 09, 2019 Palace Theatre Louisville, KY, United States
June 11, 2019 Murat Theatre at Old National Indianapolis, IN, United States
June 13, 2019 Chicago Theatre Chicago, IL, United States
June 14, 2019 Riverside Theater Milwaukee, WI, United States
June 15, 2019 State Theatre Minneapolis, MN, United States
June 17, 2019 Ellie Caulkin Opera House Denver, CO, United States
June 18, 2019 Delta Hall at Eccles Theater Salt Lake City, UT, United States
June 20, 2019 Keller Auditorium Portland, OR, United States
June 21, 2019 The Centre in Vancouver for Performing Arts Vancouver, BC, Canada
June 22, 2019 McCaw Hall Seattle, WA, United States
June 24, 2019 Crest Theatre Sacramento Sacramento, CA, United States
June 25, 2019 Fox Theater Oakland, CA, United States
June 26, 2019 Golden State Theatre Monterey, CA, United States
June 28, 2019 Orpheum Theatre Los Angeles, CA, United States
June 29, 2019 Ikeda Theater at Mesa Performing Arts Center Mesa, AZ, United States
June 30, 2019 Copley Symphony Hall San Diego, CA, United States
July 07, 2019 Live at the Marquee Cork, Ireland

Links

www.davidgray.com
https://www.facebook.com/davidgray
https://twitter.com/DavidGray
https://www.youtube.com/user/TheRealDavidGray
https://www.instagram.com/davidgray