Andy White Returns To Melbourne With New Poetry Book And 2027 Album Preview

Forty years after his debut album, the Northern Irish songwriter will return to Melbourne’s Merri Creek Tavern to launch his third poetry collection and preview songs from a new album due in 2027.

by Paul Cashmere

Andy White will return to Melbourne’s Merri Creek Tavern on November 12 for a performance that brings together three distinct parts of his creative life: a new book of poetry, songs from an album planned for 2027, and a retrospective look at the work that began with his 1986 debut, Rave On Andy White.

The Belfast-born songwriter, poet and author will launch Written To Be Read Quickly, his third collection of poetry, during the 8pm performance. The book brings together almost 50 poems and has been edited by Belfast novelist Robert McLiam Wilson.

Published by Belfast studio Arthouse in both paperback and limited-edition hardback, Written To Be Read Quickly is described as moving through wit, playfulness, reflection and darker observations about contemporary life. White will have the only copies currently available in Australia at the Melbourne launch.

The Merri Creek Tavern performance also provides an early look at a love story, White’s next album, scheduled for release in 2027. He will perform songs from the forthcoming record alongside selections from a catalogue that now spans four decades.

That connection to the beginning of his career will become even more prominent in October, when White launches a new podcast series examining the making and legacy of Rave On Andy White. The first episode is scheduled for October 4, ahead of the Melbourne performance.

The timing gives the show a particular historical dimension. Rave On Andy White was released in 1986 after White had issued his debut EP, Religious Persuasion, the previous year. His early songwriting established the combination of literary references, political observation and personal storytelling that would remain central to his work.

Among the songs associated with White’s catalogue are “Religious Persuasion”, “James Joyce’s Grave”, “Street Scenes From My Heart”, “Italian Girls On Mopeds” and “Another Sunny Day”.

Four decades later, White’s work continues to move between music and literature rather than treating them as separate disciplines. Written To Be Read Quickly follows The Music Of What Happens, published in 1999, and Stolen Moments, released in 2011. His first prose book, 21st Century Troubadour, appeared in 2009.

The literary thread has also extended into White’s recent recording work. His 2024 album, Good Luck I Hope You Make It, was the creative outcome of practice-based PhD research at the University of Tasmania, for which White was awarded a PhD in August 2024. The project reflected an increasingly expansive approach to songwriting and spoken word.

His most recent release, the 2025 live album The Night Is Approaching Though Some Would Say It Was Morning, was recorded at Abbey Road Studio Two on July 14, 2023. Produced by John Leckie, the album draws on songs from different stages of White’s career.

White’s recording history also includes the 1995 album Altitude, made with Tim Finn and Hothouse Flowers member Liam Ó Maonlaí under the name ALT. White and Finn later reunited for the 2023 album AT.

The international scope of White’s career has included performances at Glastonbury, WOMAD and festivals across Europe, North America, Africa and Australia. He has also maintained a strong connection with Melbourne, where he lives and continues his work as a songwriter, author and educator.

The November performance therefore sits between past and future: a celebration of the catalogue that began with Rave On Andy White, the launch of a new book and an advance look at music that will not be released until 2027.