With Dear Life, his latest and 13th album, acclaimed British singer songwriter David Gray has delivered one of his greatest works yet and that says much for an artist who has already given us White Ladder, one of the best selling British albums of the 21st century. There’s something about David’s character-filled voice and the evocative music offered on Dear Life that compels you to listen intently and digest the lyrics thoughtfully.
Not only is Gray one of Britain’s most successful composer performers, he’s also one of the most influential, with artists such as Ed Sheeran, Adele and Hozier acknowledging that Gray has helped to shape their own music paths.
Following Gray’s massive sold-out White Ladder Anniversary Tour of Australia in 2022, he returns down under in November 2025 for an extensive tour, playing material from Dear Life as well as delving into his back catalogue for the hits, covers and deeper cuts.
Ahead of the November Australian tour David Gray spoke to Australian Musician editor Greg Phillips via zoom about the new album, the upcoming tour, his guitars, pre-gig rituals, how he uses his soundcheck and what it’s like touring the world trying to spread joy while in the background the world is getting politically darker.
MORE ABOUT DAVID GRAY’S DEAR LIFE
David Gray is back doing what he does better than almost anyone, and fans of complex, serious, lyrical songcraft should rejoice. Dear Life may be the deepest, strangest, loveliest album this pioneering British singer-songwriter has ever delivered. Years in the making, it is an album of emotional crisis and resolution, mortality and faith, reality and illusion, love and heartbreak, magic, science, loss and acceptance.
According to its creator, “A lot has happened to me. There’s been change on so many levels, all the ups and downs and dramas and tragedies and joys that the slow movement through life brings. This record has been a reckoning with stuff that’s been building up like static for years. But I say this with joy and a smile on my face. I know what I’ve done is as good as anything I could possibly do.”
For a multi-million selling arena artist who made one of the bestselling British albums of the 21st century, David Gray is perhaps a little misunderstood. The blockbuster White Ladder (first released in 1998 on his own kitchen sink IHT label) took years to break through, pushing his intense and passionate blend of acoustics and electronica into the pop spotlight. After Gray came the singer-songwriter deluge: Ed Sheeran has admitted “White Ladder moulded me as an artist and a fan.” But whilst huge stars from Adele to Hozier have acknowledged Gray’s profound impact and influence, Gray himself has continued to plough his own furrow, relentlessly seeking out a purity of artistic expression. The work matters deeply to him. “What I want is something that when you touch it, you know it’s real,” is how David puts it.
Dear Life is Gray’s 13th album, featuring 15 new songs. It is the result of “a starburst of songwriting … it just seemed like the gods of songwriting were being kind. The doubting voices didn’t turn up.” He “relished the whole writing process, the words were ravishing to me, the rhyming schemes were fresh and new.” By his own admission, it is his “most lyrical record” but working closely with producer Ben de Vries, he was determined to ensure that “the music makes space for the words. Everything is very melodically strong and positive, so the record isn’t overly wordy, or dense or inward looking.”
Dear Life contemplates “the beautiful thing that we all treasure,” with a suggestion of a formal address – as if the writer is composing a letter to life itself. Some songs tenderly grapple with relationship choices and consequences (“After The Harvest”, “Sunlight on Water”, “The First Stone”), some face mortality and loss (“Eyes Made Rain”, “Leave Taking”, “That Day Must Surely Come”), some boldly tackle the biggest questions of existence: the unknowable nature of love (“I Saw Love”), our place in the universe (“The Only Ones”), the prospect of apocalyptic change (“Future Bride”). There is a playfulness at work (“Singing for the Pharaoh” finds Gray wittily interrogating his vocation, whilst “Fighting Talk” confronts his Celtic argumentativeness) and a strong female presence throughout, with vocals from David’s musician daughter Florence Gray on several songs, and a punchy duet with rising star Talia Rae on first single, “Plus & Minus.”
David Gray is a songwriter’s songwriter, one of those rare artists who can express themselves as fully through lyrics as through melody, a richly poetic wordsmith with vast musical flair. Dear Life is a big statement, the work of a driven man obsessively focussed on a personal artistic journey. “I’m feeling very joyful about the act of making and sharing this music – and privileged to be doing so. But also strengthened – because I know that what I’ve done is as good as anything I can possibly ever do. I don’t know what people will make of it. But I have the same hopes and dreams whenever I release a record – that if you try and do something special, then maybe something magical will happen in return.”
MORE ABOUT THE AUSTRALIAN TOUR
Fans can expect an unforgettable live experience this November, as Gray brings his newest album to the stage for the very first time while also diving deep into his rich catalogue – a magical, two hour live show filled with beloved classics such as ‘My Oh My’, ‘Babylon’, ‘Please Forgive Me’, ‘Sail Away’ and many more.
Gray is a multi-million selling arena artist who made one of the bestselling British albums of the 21st century, the blockbuster White Ladder, which pushed his intense and passionate blend of acoustics and electronica into the pop spotlight. Whilst huge stars from Adele to Hozier to Ed Sheeran have acknowledged Gray’s profound impact and influence, Gray himself has continued to plough his own furrow, relentlessly seeking out a purity of expression. Dear Life is a big statement, the work of a driven man obsessively focussed on a personal artistic journey.
Don’t miss the chance to see the legendary David Gray, live on stage this November!
DAVID GRAY + special guest TBA
AUSTRALIAN TOUR
NOVEMBER 2025
Presented by Frontier Touring
TICKETS ON SALE NOW via frontiertouring.com/davidgray
ALL SHOWS LICENSED ALL AGES
Tuesday 4 November
Riverside Theatre, PCEC | Perth, WA
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Friday 7 November
Thebarton Theatre | Adelaide, SA
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Sunday 9 November
Palais Theatre | Melbourne, VIC
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Monday 10 November
NEW SHOW!
Palais Theatre | Melbourne, VIC
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Wednesday 12 November
State Theatre | Sydney, NSW
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Thursday 13 November
NEW SHOW!
State Theatre | Sydney, NSW
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Saturday 15 November
Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) Concert Hall | Brisbane, QLD
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Sunday 16 November
NEW SHOW!
Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) Concert Hall | Brisbane, QLD
qpac.com.au