Rex Orange County has announced that he is cancelling the majority of his 2022 touring plans following his London show in August. Tickets to his remaining shows can be found here.
The Grayshott musician, (real name Alex O’Connor) issued a statement on social media concerning the matter, stating: “It is with a great deal of sadness to announce that due to unforeseen personal circumstances, I am having to spend some time at home this year and I will not be able to continue with touring as planned…The UK/IRE dates will still go ahead this summer but Gunnersby Park in London on August 13th will be the last show of the year. I am devastated to say that the Australia, New Zealand and European shows scheduled for September and November will be cancelled. All tickets will be refunded…This is the last thing I want to do. I love touring and I am so sorry to be letting anyone down. I look forward to getting back to it as soon as I can.”
— rex orange county (@rexorangecounty) July 2, 2022
O’Connor released his fourth full-length record Who Cares? in March of this year, which landed him his first Number One album in the UK. The record was received well by both fans and critics alike, with NME saying in a four-star review: “Even if there is no clear breakthrough moment for O’Connor on ‘Who Cares?’, there is something to be said for an artist that is this consistent, and this committed to uplifting his listeners. These 11 tracks simply encourage his audience to draw those curtains wide, to look at the sun outside that window, to keep moving forward.”
You can listen to “KEEP IT UP” from the album below, and watch its accompanying music video.
O’Connor’s first foray into music under the Rex Orange County moniker was in 2015, when he self-released his first album Bcos U Will Never B Free via Bandcamp and Soundcloud. The album caught the attention of the likes of American rapper Tyler, The Creator, later leading to a collaboration between the two on the album Flower Boy, with O’Connor contributing vocals to the songs “Foreword” and “Boredom”. O’Connor has released four albums to date under the Rex Orange County name; Bcos U Will Never B Free (2015), Apricot Princess (2017), Pony (2019 and Who Cares? (2022). You can find the entirety of O’Connor’s musical catalogue on all streaming services.
