Richard Dawson
Announces The Ruby Cord Live - watch trailer here
Limited edition DVD release of recording of live performance at St George’s Bristol out December 8th
Filmed by James Hankins, director of “The Hermit”
Announces UK and European Autumn/Winter tour
The Ruby Cord out now

“Ambitious, complex epic”  Uncut - #16 in Albums of the Year
“One of the most inventive, exploratory albums of the year” Mojo 4*
“The record caps off a period of extraordinary creative endeavour”  The Quietus - #4 in Albums of the Year
“The Ruby Cord will be hailed as another masterpiece”  Record Collector 5*
“Sometimes a need is answered that you never knew you had, such as Newcastle maverick Richard Dawson’s latest — a concept album about virtual reality featuring prog-folk vocals, stompy surrealist rock and a 41-minute opening track sung from the point of view of a hermit.”  Financial Times – Albums of the Year
“A cosmic headfuck that makes most modern ‘folk’ music look like some sort of VisitSomerset.co.uk corporate presentation deck”  Time Out - #12 in Albums of the Year
“Fantastical vision”  Hi-Fi Choice 5*
“Over the past decade, Newcastle songwriter Richard Dawson has quietly put together an astonishing body of work… The Ruby Cord contains some of Dawson’s best work yet, and that really is saying something” Loud and Quiet - #13 in Albums of the Year
“Powerfully moving”  The Observer

Following the release of his critically acclaimed seventh album The Ruby Cord last year, today Richard Dawson announces 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. The limited-edition DVD is available to pre-order now and will be released on 8th December. The Ruby Cord is the final part of a trilogy that started with the pre-medieval world of Peasant and was brought back to the present day with 2020.

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 set list 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".

Watch the trailer for The Ruby Cord Live here.

After recent collaborations with Finnish metal innovators Circle and his work with Hen Ogledd, the new record was a return to Dawson’s own world with seven tracks that plunged us into an unreal, fantastical and at times sinister future where social mores have mutated, ethical and physical boundaries have evaporated… a place where you no longer needed to engage with anyone but yourself and your own imagination. Breaking of convention with its 41-minute opening track “The Hermit”, The Ruby Cord swiftly garnered critical acclaim for the Geordie bard and picked up several Album of the Year spots.

Dawson will embark on a UK and European Autumn/Winter tour later this year – full list of dates below. Tickets on sale now from here.

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

The Ruby Cord Live artwork:

Richard Dawson announces 'The Ruby Cord Live' DVD - out Dec 8th

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