Almost a year ago, Richard Dawson released his critically acclaimed seventh album The Ruby Cord. As Thomas Blake summarised in his Folk Radio review – it was the final album in a trilogy that began with Peasant (2017), examining the lives of a diverse but linked set of characters in Anglo-Saxon Britain, while 2020 (2019) saw Dawson cast his eye over contemporary issues ranging from racism to parenthood via social anxiety, climate change, poor working conditions and football. Where both of these albums succeeded was in the richness and variety of their storytelling combined with Dawson’s inimitable singing and musicianship. It always felt that those two albums were in some way linked, in spite of the gulf of centuries that lay between their respective subjects, and with the release of The Ruby Cord, that has proved to be the case.
The Ruby Cord is set in a future, a dystopian world finding its feet after a complete societal collapse. Dawson’s new world is part pagan folk horror, part glitch-ridden sci-fi. The very fabric of life seems to have taken on a hallucinatory warp…
Domino Records have announced the release of The Ruby Cord Live: a DVD of the recording of his live performance at St George’s Bristol on 4th May earlier this year.
Filmed by James Hankins, who also directed “The Hermit”, the accompanying 40-minute pop video for Dawson’s epic and opening track on The Ruby Cord, the setlist included tracks from The Ruby Cord such as “Thicker Than Water” and “The Fool” as well as live favourite “Ogre” from his 2017 album, Peasant.
“Our tour last spring was a special time,” Richard comments. “I was glad to be on the road with loved ones. The music was challenging but I mainly felt calm. It was the first time I ever played sitting down, which is ok because I am middle-aged now. We drank – but not to excess. We ate reasonably healthily. We met some fine folks – thank you for sharing those evenings with us. The nine dates in April/May ’23 were the first and (probably) last performances of the Ruby Cord album. I’m delighted James Hankins and his team captured so cannily our antepenultimate show in Bristol, and that I’m able to share it with you now. Yours sincerely, Rich”.
The limited-edition DVD is available to pre-order now and will be released on 8th December. Order via Dom Mart.
Dawson will embark on a UK and European Autumn/Winter tour later this year – full list of dates below. Tickets are on sale now from here.
Richard Dawson 2023 live dates
23rd Sept – Edinburgh, Queen’s Hall *
12th Oct – Cardiff, Llais Festival *
3rd Nov – Prague, Alternativa Festival *
10th Nov – Utrecht, Le Guess Who? *
6th Dec – Norwich, Norwich Arts Centre *
7th Dec – Brighton, St Georges Church **
8th Dec – Nottingham, The Boat Club **
9th Dec – Chester, St Mary’s **
10th Dec – Swansea, Bunkhouse **
12th Dec – Falmouth, The Cornish Bank **
13th Dec – Bristol, Bristol Beacon (Lantern Hall) **
16th Dec – Newcastle, Victoria Tunnel *
17th Dec – Newcastle, Victoria Tunnel *
* = solo show
** = with Andrew Cheetham (drums)
All tickets