Beth Orton Returning To New Zealand

One of the most beloved UK songwriters of her generation, Beth Orton has announced her first New Zealand headline dates in a decade, performing with full band at Auckland’s Powerstation and Wellington’s St James Theatre this November. Orton's high profile collaborations with The Chemical Brothers on their mid-'90s albums Exit Planet Dust and Dig Your Own Hole ('Where Do I Begin' was a local student radio favourite) stoked the flames for the global success of her Mercury Prize nominated solo debut Trailer Park (1996), and BRIT Award winning sophomore record Central Reservation. Finally heading back our way (she nearly toured her in 2017), Orton will be here celebrating the 2022 release of her eighth studio album Weather Alive, hailed by Pitchfork as "the best work" of the Norfolk artist's career to date. Don't miss these long-awaited special events — here are the details...

UPDATE 17/10/24: Solid Entertainment wish to advise that the highly anticipated upcoming New Zealand tour dates by Brit Award winner and Mercury Prize nominee Beth Orton have been rescheduled to April 2024. The previously announced headline shows were originally due to kick off in November.

Says Orton today:

“Dear New Zealand! I have an important announcement. I am having to reschedule my upcoming dates to April 2024. It’s not something I wanted to do, but for my health I need to take a pause. Through the wonders of modern science, medication, diet and being super careful, I’ve been able to keep all of my commitments this year which has been a miracle. But the advice at this stage is not to push it in November. I’m going to stay close to home and keep everything I do local for a few months and then I will come in April when I can take on the long haul flights and put everything into touring your beautiful part of the world with an extra special configuration of musicians in my band. Tickets will be valid for the new dates which are listed above and below. I can’t wait to see you all soon.”

Tickets for the November 2023 Auckland and Wellington shows are valid for the corresponding April 2024 rescheduled dates – ticketholders don’t need to take any action.

Beth Orton

Saturday 20th April - The Powerstation, Auckland
Sunday 21st April - St James Theatre, Wellington

Tickets on sale via Ticketmaster

Experience the title track to Beth Orton's 2022 album Weather Alive...

Here's the video for Orton's 1996 classic 'She Cries Your Name'...

Press release:

Solid Entertainment is delighted to welcome BETH ORTON back for her first New Zealand shows in ten years. The BRIT Award winning and Mercury Prize nominated English singer/songwriter will perform with her full band, playing two headline shows in November at Auckland’s Powerstation and Wellington’s St James Theatre.

Beth Orton’s latest album Weather Alive was one of the most critically acclaimed records of 2022 landing on multiple year-end ‘Best Of’ lists and hailed by many as her finest work yet.

Beth Orton is a world class performer and has long been regarded as possessing one of the most unique and expressive voices in music – a voice that has grown evermore rich and wise over time. Her 1996 debut, Trailer Park, pioneered a synthesis of electronic and acoustic sounds, while its 1999 follow-up, Central Reservation, garnered international success. Hit songs such as She Cries Your Name, Central Reservation, Stolen Car and Someone’s Daughter are classics.

Across almost thirty years Orton’s sound has shapeshifted from her output with The Chemical Brothers, Andrew Weatherall, Red Snapper and William Orbit, to a pioneer of an electronic, woozy brand of trip-hop. Orton resolutely refutes categorisation, weaving from hushed, folk-informed storytelling to dark, brooding esoteric experimentalism.

Through all these different sonic explorations, Beth Orton remains a fantastically evocative songwriter, finding artist fans and collaborators in the most unlikely of places. Out of the studio, she’s shared the stage and mic with the likes of Patti Smith, Nick Cave, Sinead O’Connor, Flaming Lips and Beck.

Over her superb career, the BRIT Award winner (Best Female Artist) and double Mercury Prize nominee has released eight albums and captivated audiences worldwide with her sublime songwriting and mesmerising onstage presence. Following the success of Weather Alive Orton’s touring diary is busier than ever.

Recent road trips include a European/UK tour with Alanis Morissette, multiple summer festivals, and a triumphant Glastonbury performance. Following dates with The War On Drugs and her own US headline tour Beth Orton and her full band will arrive in New Zealand in November for two very special shows.

It’s been a while, but now’s the best time ever