UK grime rap originator returns to Ireland this autumn for two shows.
Dizzee Rascal plays the National Stadium, Dublin on Tuesday October 27th 2026 and Cork City Hall on Wednesday October 28th 2026.
Dizzee cut his teeth on pirate radio in early-2000s East London and helped define the entire grammar of grime – jolting, minimalist beats under rapid-fire, hyperlocal reportage. His 2003 debut Boy in da Corner remains grime’s ground zero, a stark and inventive record that won the Mercury Prize and made him, at 19, its youngest ever winner. ‘I Luv U’, ‘Fix Up, Look Sharp’ and ‘Jus’ a Rascal’ became the calling cards for a genuinely new British voice in rap, and two decades on the album is still canonical.
Showtime (2004) and Maths + English (2007) broadened his sound and set up an extraordinary run of pop-rap singles – ‘Dance Wiv Me’ with Calvin Harris, ‘Bonkers’, ‘Holiday’ and ‘Dirtee Disco’ all hit UK number one, anchoring platinum-selling album Tongue n’ Cheek (2009). By the early 2010s the kid from E3 was performing at the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics.
After the glossier crossover of The Fifth (2013), he pivoted back toward grit and speed with Raskit (2017) and E3 AF (2020), re-centring the barbed delivery and sharp production that built his name in the first place. He was appointed MBE for services to music in October 2020.
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Recent years have seen 2024 album Don’t Take It Personal via his own Big Dirtee imprint, followed by the surprise EP I Invented Grime, both club-primed and full of the needling one-liners that have always been his trademark. Still headlining festivals across Europe off the back of this run.
Dizzee Rascal – National Stadium, Dublin, Tuesday October 27th 2026 / Cork City Hall, Wednesday October 28th 2026. Tickets from €39.90 plus fees on sale Friday June 26th at 10am via Ticketmaster.ie.
Niall Byrne is the founder of the most-influential Irish music site Nialler9, where he has been writing about music since 2005. He is the co-host of the Nialler9 Podcast and has written for the Irish Times, Irish Independent, Sunday Times, Totally Dublin, Cara Magazine, Red Bull and more. Niall is a DJ, co-founder of Lumo Club, event curator, Indie Sleaze club promoter, and producer of gigs and monthly listening parties & events in Dublin.
