Photos: Damien Rice to return to Australia on O 25th Anniversary Tour

Frontier Touring, Chugg Entertainment and Gaynor Crawford are bringing Irish singer-songwriter Damien Rice back to Australia for a series of headline dates, celebrating 25 years of his debut album O.

Performing in 25 cities to celebrate the album's 25th year, the tour includes stops in Sydney and Melbourne, with Rice performing at Melbourne's Hamer Hall on Tuesday 9 February, before two nights at Sydney Opera House Concert Hall on Thursday 11 and Friday 12 February.

Frontier Members can access their presale on Thursday 22 October from 10am AEDT before tickets go on sale from Friday 23 October at 10am AEDT. Tickets and tour information via frontiertouring.com/damienrice.

There's a particular kind of songwriter who seems to write because they have to, not because they're trying to build a career - and Damien Rice has always felt like one of them. After walking away from a record deal, he tried his hand at farming in Tuscany, and busking his way across Europe until he returned to Ireland in 1999 with little more than songs.

His debut album, O, was written, recorded, and produced at home - funded by a loan from his father that needn't be repaid if the record was finished, and carried further by equipment and belief from his second cousin, the composer David Arnold. Released in February 2002 on his own label, he initially thought it would be the only record he'd ever make.

Twenty-five years on - through the touring, the silence, the surreal and swift passing of time - the songs of o have never stopped travelling with him. Now he returns to where it all began: 25 cities for the 25th anniversary of o, the music that started it all, played again for the audience that grew around it and the new audience drawn to its sense of timelessness.

His confessional songwriting and stripped-back sound helped shape a wave of introspective singer-songwriters in the 2000s, and his work still feels like a touchstone for anyone drawn to raw, unfiltered music.

Live, he has built a reputation as someone who doesn't just perform a song but seems to live through it again each time — which is probably why, even with long silences between records, people are still curious about what he may do next.

Event Details

Tuesday 9 February — Hamer Hall | Melbourne, VIC — Lic. All Ages — artscentremelbourne.com.au

Thursday 11 February — Sydney Opera House Concert Hall | Sydney, NSW — Lic. All Ages — sydneyoperahouse.com

Friday 12 February — Sydney Opera House Concert Hall | Sydney, NSW — Lic. All Ages — sydneyoperahouse.com

Frontier Member presale via frontiertouring.com/damienrice runs 24 hours from Thursday 22 October (10am AEDT) or until presale allocation exhausted. Tickets on sale begins Friday 23 October (10am AEDT).

Patrons are advised to purchase tickets only through authorised ticket sellers. Frontier Touring cannot guarantee any ticket purchase made through any means other than the official ticketing agents listed on the Frontier website.

Damien Rice - 'O' 25th Anniversary World Tour Dates

Melbourne, Australia — Hamer Hall — 9 February

Sydney, Australia — Sydney Opera House — 11 & 12 February

Singapore — Capitol Theatre — 16 & 17 February

Bangkok, Thailand — SiamPic Hall — 20 February

Hong Kong — Xiqu Centre — 24 & 25 February

Seoul, South Korea — GS Arts Center — 27 & 28 February

Taipei, Taiwan — Taipei International Convention Center (TICC) — 3 March

Dublin, Ireland — Bord Gáis Energy Theatre — 21 & 22 March

Lisbon, Portugal — Coliseu dos Recreios — 26 March

Madrid, Spain — Teatro Lope De Vega — 30 March

Rome, Italy — Auditorium Conciliazione — 4 April

Zurich, Switzerland — The Hall — 6 April

Berlin, Germany — Tempodrom — 9 April

Paris, France — Le Grand Rex — 12 April

Amsterdam, Netherlands — Royal Theatre Carré — 16 & 17 April

London, UK — Lyceum Theatre & London Palladium — 19 & 20 April

Manchester, UK — Opera House — 23 & 24 April

São Paulo, Brazil — Sala São Paulo — 3 May

Mexico City, Mexico — Auditorio BB — 8 May

Chicago, USA — Auditorium Theatre — 11 May

Toronto, Canada — Massey Hall — 14 May

New York City, USA — Kings Theatre Brooklyn — 21 May

Los Angeles, USA — Greek Theatre — 25 May

Additional city — TBC

Additional city — TBC

Photo Credit: Robbie Fry