Chicago four-piece Ratboys will bring their emotionally charged and critically acclaimed live show to Dublin next spring, playing The Grand Social on Tuesday 26 May 2026.
Led by vocalist and songwriter Julia Steiner alongside guitarist Dave Sagan, bassist Sean Neumann and drummer Marcus Nuccio, Ratboys have quietly become one of the most distinctive bands in American indie rock. Blending twangy alt-rock, power-pop hooks and expansive Americana, their music balances warmth and intimacy with moments of widescreen catharsis.
The Dublin show comes in support of Ratboys’ sixth studio album Singin’ to an Empty Chair (New West Records), their most introspective and emotionally driven work to date. Written following a period of personal estrangement and shaped by Steiner’s experiences in therapy, the album explores communication, distance and connection with striking honesty, humour and heart. Despite its title, Singin’ to an Empty Chair is not defined by absence, but by dialogue, a record about reaching out, reflecting inward, and finding clarity amid uncertainty.Recorded across multiple sessions in rural Wisconsin, Chicago’s legendary Electrical Audio, and Rosebud Studio in Evanston with longtime collaborator Chris Walla, the album captures Ratboys at the peak of their powers. Songs glide effortlessly between buoyant power-pop, post-country warmth and expansive, exploratory moments, all grounded by the band’s unmistakable chemistry.
That chemistry has been honed over years of relentless touring and was a defining feature of their previous release The Window, one of 2023’s most praised indie records.
Ratboys at The Grand Social promises a rare chance to see one of contemporary indie rock’s most vital bands in an intimate setting.
RATBOYS
ANNOUNCES HEADLINE SHOW IN DUBLIN
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TUESDAY, 26 MAY 2026 – THE GRAND SOCIAL, DUBLIN.Tickets available at singularartists.ie and Ticketmaster.ie