Deacon Blue Announce 3Arena Dublin Show for Raintown 40th Anniversary

By Chris Kennedy | Published 15th Sept, 2026

There’s a fair chance you’ll hear a lot of Dignity being sung around Dublin next October.

Deacon Blue have announced a huge 40th anniversary tour of Raintown, with the Scottish favourites set to play 3Arena Dublin on 7th October 2027 as part of a 15-date UK and Ireland run.

And for fans of the band’s brilliant debut, there’s plenty to get excited about. The shows will see Deacon Blue perform Raintown in full, before returning for a second set packed with songs from across their career.

Deacon Blue to Play Raintown in Full at 3Arena Dublin

Released in 1987, Raintown was the record that started it all for Deacon Blue. Forty years on, its songs have become part of the fabric of the band's story, with tracks including Dignity, When Will You (Make Your Telephone Ring), Chocolate Girl and Loaded still connecting with audiences decades after they were first released.

For the anniversary shows, the band will recreate that debut album and its atmosphere as the first part of the concert, before opening things up for a second act featuring songs from across their extensive catalogue.

Frontman Ricky Ross is understandably pretty chuffed about the whole thing.

When we made our first record none of us imagined there would be an audience still wanting to hear it played live forty years on.

Ross says recreating the songs and atmosphere of Raintown will be a great joy, while promising that the second half of the show will feature music from all of the band's albums.

And there's a nice little twist too: Deacon Blue are aiming to make each night a unique experience.

A Huge Deacon Blue Back Catalogue

While Raintown is the reason for the celebration, there's certainly no shortage of material for Deacon Blue to draw from. The band have sold more than seven million records, picked up 12 UK Top 40 singles and scored two UK Number One albums — When The World Knows Your Name and Our Town.

Raintown itself has now achieved Platinum status, as have the two albums that followed it.

And despite four decades of music behind them, Deacon Blue haven't exactly been sitting around looking backwards.

Their most recent album, The Great Western Road, continued that creative run, reaching No.3 in the UK album chart.

That's quite some trajectory for a band whose debut arrived back in 1987.

Deacon Blue 3Arena Dublin — October 2027

The Dublin show takes place at 3Arena on Thursday, 7th October 2027, just one night after the tour kicks off at Belfast's O2 Arena.

The full Raintown – The 40th Anniversary UK & Ireland Tour runs throughout October, taking in major venues across Ireland and the UK.

Deacon Blue – Raintown 40th Anniversary Tour

Wed 6th October — Belfast, O2 Arena

Thurs 7th October — Dublin, 3Arena

Sat 9th October — Liverpool, M&S Bank Arena

Sun 10th October — Leeds, First Direct Arena

Tues 12th October — Hull, Connexin Live

Wed 13th October — Nottingham, Motorpoint Arena

Thurs 14th October — Newcastle, Utilita Arena

Sat 16th October — Cardiff, Utilita Arena

Sun 17th October — Brighton Centre

Tues 19th October — Bournemouth, International Centre

Wed 20th October — Birmingham, Utilita Arena

Fri 22nd October — Manchester, Co-op Live

Mon 25th October — London, Eventim Apollo

Wed 27th October — Aberdeen, P&J Live

Fri 29th October — Glasgow, OVO Hydro

Forty Years On, Deacon Blue Are Still Looking Forward

There's something particularly fitting about Deacon Blue marking 40 years of Raintown in this way.

Yes, there will be plenty of nostalgia involved. That's unavoidable when you're revisiting a landmark album from 1987. But this isn't being presented as a simple trip down memory lane.

With The Great Western Road adding another successful chapter to their story and the band continuing to tour and create, there's still plenty of forward momentum.

As Ricky Ross puts it, the band are thrilled you are all still there to be part of another adventure.

For anyone who grew up with Raintown, that's a pretty good invitation.

Deacon Blue play 3Arena Dublin on 7th October 2027 as part of the Raintown – The 40th Anniversary UK & Ireland Tour.

TICKETS FROM £40.00 / €45.00 AVAILABLE FROM SINGULARARTISTS.IE + TICKETMASTER