The singer-songwriter is set to release The Big Romance (Kittser’s Version) on April 10th via All City Records.
In the lead up to the record, which of course, is also inspired the name of a hi-fi vinyl bar in Dublin, there has been some song drops along with a second National Concert Hall show due to demand.
This new version was fully re-recorded with the original producer Ken McHugh for the same reason as Taylor’s Versions albums, the copyright for the recording was held by someone else – in this case the label V2 is now defunct and the administration of an old record is lost to global music label bureaucracy.
The new release features all 10 tracks of the original album along with three new tracks and b-side and fan favourite ‘Saturdays’ – all remade at Kitt’s home studio in Ballinskelligs with the help of McHugh.
‘Song From Hope St. (Brooklyn, NY)’, ‘T’s & Cs’, ‘All Been Gold’ and ‘You Know What I Want To Know’ were previously shared from the record,
Today, two songs – a new one ‘Robert Wyatt (Along the Way)’ and a newly recorded version of ‘What I Ask’ have been shared.
“One of my favourite memories of the promo campaign for the original release of the The Big Romance was an appearance on the BBC Radio show of the great Whispering Bob Harris of The Old Grey Whistle Test fame. Bob was a big fan of The Big Romance and ‘What I Ask’ in particular and asked me “David would you mind if we listened to it before we speak”. I got to sit across from Bob eyes closed for the full 8 minutes of the track, it was pretty surreal and proud moment. It was a real challenge to match that recording but with a little help from my friends Katie Kim, Nina Hynes and Ken McHugh we got there. I really love this new version which also features elements of New Jackson’s ‘Having A Coke With You’ including the great Margie Jean Lewis’s strings.
Robert Wyatt (Along The Way) is a brand new song which a bit of a hit at Sounds From A Safe Harbour festival in Cork last September, and features a difficult to pronounce Icelandic volcano.”
Buy the album on Bandcamp.
The Big Romance live gigs
The anniversary will also be celebrated with two special live shows, where Kitt performs The Big Romance in full at Dublin’s National Concert Hall.
LIVE – NCH Landmarks: David Kitt – The Big Romance
Fri 10 April 2026 – SOLD OUT
Sat 11 April 2026 – On sale now
The shows will feature an all-star band including Dylan Lynch, Rachael Lavelle, Katie Kim, Ryan Hargadon, Paul G. Smyth, Eamon Brady and Gareth Averill.
ABOUT THE BIG ROMANCE (KITTSERS VERSION)
Following his home-recorded debut Small Moments, 2001’s The Big Romance marked Kittser’s first experience working in a professional studio.
“The bulk of the original album was recorded at Pulse Studios off Camden St. with producer Ken McHugh – owner of many of the synths and samplers and drum machines I dreamt of owning back then. It was such an exciting time to have access to this dream palette of sounds and Ken’s skill and talent as a producer/programmer. I was bringing in records from underground electronica and hip hop as references for the sound I was going for and the results were a fusion of more traditional acoustic and electric instruments with electronic sounds and hip-hop flavours that was pretty fresh for the time. It felt like a distillation of all the things I was a fan of. It’s a sound I feel I’ve been honing and crafting ever since.”
The record – featuring the singles ‘Song From Hope St. (Brooklyn, NY)’ and ‘You Know What I Wanna Know’ – sold 60,000 copies in Ireland alone and marked a major shift in Kitt’s life as a musician and performer.
Originally released on Warner Music, Kitt reflects: “the contract I signed back then means they own the rights to the album “for the universe forever”, apparently. Great! I approached them about a vinyl reissue for the 10th and 20th anniversaries and got nowhere. So, for the 25th anniversary, I decided to take matters into my own hands and make a version of the album that I own myself and I’m free to press on vinyl.”
The new release features all ten tracks of the original album along with three new tracks and b-side and fan favourite ‘Saturdays’ – all lovingly and faithfully remade in Ballinskelligs, at Kitt’s home studio, with the invaluable help of Ken McHugh and drawing on his 25 years’ experience of making records with synths and samplers.
“I feel I’ve landed on a document that has the sonic and emotional DNA of the original – and at times improves on it, a record that will be cherished by fans of the original and would get the seal of approval from my 25-year-old self.”
‘The Big Romance (Kittser’s Version)’ will be released on All City Records on April 10, 2026, on vinyl, CD and digital.
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.
