News: Rufus Wainwright makes a welcome return to the National Concert Hall

Rufus Wainwright: Folkocracy with Petra Haden and Lucy Wainwright National Concert Hall, Saturday 22nd July 2023, 8pm Tickets: €55, €50, €45, Choir Balcony €25 (10% Discount for NCH Friends) On Sale Fri. 21st April (or 19th of April for Friends of the NCH) www.nch.ie

 Media Release, Wednesday 19th April 2023 

On Saturday 22nd July the renowned singer/songwriter Rufus Wainwright makes a welcome return to the National Concert Hall stage to perform his 12th studio album Folkocracy for Irish fans, with singers Petra Haden and his sister Lucy Wainwright.  

Completed in the run up to the artists’ 50th birthday, the album which is due out 2nd June features contributions from a host of well-known artists namely; David Byrne, ANOHNI, John Legend, Brandi Carlile, Chaka Khan, David Byrne, Anohni, Sheryl Crow, John Legend, Nicole Scherzinger and more.  

The idea for the album, which sees Wainwright revisit his roots, of childhood summers spent at folk festivals and watching his famous family on stage, came to him during the 2021 Grammy Award ceremony when he became aware of the countless folk and Americana categories and felt a pang for the past. 

Rufus said: “I’ve shied away from folk in the past, preferring the worlds of opera and pop. But the fact is I’m from a bona fide folkocracy who mixed extensively with other folkocracies such as the Seegers and the Thompsons. As I hurtle towards 50, I’m back where it all began.” 

For the ‘Folkocracy’ tour he performs with a four-piece band of amazing musicians and two incredible singers, his sister Lucy Wainwright Roche and Petra Haden, who will sing the parts of most of the guests from the album. The set list will contain almost all songs from the album. The 15 songs were chosen with producer Mitchell Froom, some are bona fide folk songs like Peggy Seeger's "Heading for Home" or Ewan MacColl's "Alone" but others are Wainwright's interpretation of what constitutes a folk song today like The Mama's and The Papa's "Twelve-Thirty", his own "Going to a Town", or Moondog's "High on a Rocky Ledge" which he first heard on a sultry Hawaiian New Year's Eve. The concept of cover songs will continue for the rest of the set list, picking songs Rufus recorded for his audible original "Roadtrip Elegies" at LA's legendary folk venue McCabe's Guitar Store.  

Not many musicians have the vocal range and depth of interpretation that Wainwright possesses or as The New Yorker simply put it "Nobody sings quite like Rufus Wainwright". Nobody gives live shows quite like Rufus either. Expect Folkocracy! 

NCH Box Office Information: 

Tickets: €55, €50, €45, Choir Balcony €25 (10% Discount for NCH Friends)   

On Sale Fri. 21st April (or 19th of April for Friends of the NCH)  

www.nch.ie

Tel: 01-4170000 

ENDS 

Media Queries: Sinead Doyle, Marketing & PR Manager, National Concert Hall, Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin 2. 087 1775334 or Roisin Dwyer, PR & Publications Executive, National Concert Hall, 085 7129628.