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Irish singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer James Vincent McMorrow is set to bring his introspective and genre-defying sound to the Barbican stage in June 2024. The performance, part of a European tour, is in support of his recently announced seventh full-length album, Wide Open, Horses (released on 14 June 2024, Nettwerk Music Group).   

Since his emergence in 2010, McMorrow has garnered over 1 billion streams across an expansive catalogue. Notable achievements include the BPI Gold certification of Higher Love in the UK, ARIA platinum certification in Australia and a number 1 album for We Move in his homeland Ireland. 

The forthcoming album, Wide Open, Horses was initially brought to life live, in a unique approach at The National Concert Hall in Dublin. He booked two nights, recorded a handful of lo-fi demos, practiced the material for a week, and then hit the stage. Phones weren’t allowed, but McMorrow recorded the performances to “see what worked and what didn’t work”. Galvanised by the performances, McMorrow took to the studio to assemble the album.      

McMorrow shares: "To me, the album is about finding relief from the cycle of life’s pressure. I don’t think the theory 'modernity equals better' holds much water these days. The more technology we add, the more unhappy everyone seems to be. I don’t want to move backward, but I felt a sense of nostalgia and happiness in the album. It would be grandiose of me to think I could offer you some profound release through words and lyrics, but maybe I can… The job is to make a record I love and hopefully offer a respite. Maybe we can all get back to a life where we aren’t so obsessed with trying to seek out meaning from absolutely everything."   

Produced by Barbican in association with FKP Scorpio  

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