Julie Byrne (USA) at Meow

Strange News Touring are ecstatic to announce the long-awaited return of American indie-folk singer-songwriter Julie Byrne, playing two shows in Aotearoa this January, playing Saturday 13 January at Auckland’s Tuning Fork, and Sunday 14 January at Meow in Wellington.

Julie Byrne, touring as a trio, is here on the back of her stunning album The Greater Wings, as well as a brand new, yet to be released EP. For those who have heard the album, which is the follow-up to her stunning 2017 breakthrough album, Not Even Happiness, you’ll already be under its spell. One of the surest bets to top end-of-year lists, The Guardian gave it five stars, and called it “a stunning study of love and loss”, and the album has drawn comparisons to Sufjan Stevens’ similarly cathartic masterpiece Carrie & Lowell.

A deeply moving album, The Greater Wings is a celebration of friendship; Byrne’s longtime creative partner Eric Littmann died suddenly at age 31 before the album was finished. To complete the album, Byrne’s label Ghostly International enlisted producer Alex Somers, who has notably worked with Sigur Rós.

With her hushed vocals, sparse instrumentation and gently plucked guitar, Julie Byrne has a way of drawing you in close. Onstage with her musical companions, Byrne is a spellbinding presence, able to transform any room into her front porch.

“A performance of mesmerising beauty” - The Guardian

“In moments of vulnerability like this, Byrne glimpses the sublime” - Pitchfork

Tickets are on sale now from Moshtix.