Dove Ellis: 2026

This  FUV Live session is also available as a podcast, "FUV Live Sessions." We're elevating WFUV's long history of live sessions and interviews via a podcast that you can find on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Amazon Podcasts. New episodes drop every Monday.

Dove Ellis, the Irish-born, UK-based singer-songwriter  is quickly capturing the attention and admiration of music lovers around the world. 

After opening for Geese on their U.S. tour, Ellis, whose real name is Thomas O’Donoghue, began building a devoted American audience. His remarkable late 2025 debut album, Blizzard, amplified the buzz and he returned in late spring for a pair of sold-out shows at New York's Bowery Ballroom.

Blizzard is gorgeous—transporting, intimate, bittersweet, and deeply poetic—with lush arrangements of saxophone, piano, strings, drums, bass, and guitar that create a world all its own. His entrancing vocals have drawn comparisons to Jeff Buckley and Thom Yorke, while his lyrics are striking in their emotional honesty and unexpected turns. 

On “Love Is,” he sings, “Love is not the antidote to all your problems,” ultimately arriving at the haunting idea that love may be “your last chance.” 

His rising profile was underscored with his nomination for the prestigious 2026 Mercury Prize, one of twelve artists alongside the likes of Paul McCartney and Raye. 

For this FUV Live Session, Ellis not only played a trio of songs — it was his first Stateside interview. He was gracious, open, kind, and remarkably thoughtful and played a trio of songs: "To the Sandals," "Feathers, Cash" and the unreleased "Nest Among Stars"

Joined by his part of his touring band — guitarist Louis Campbell, saxophonist Fred Donlon-Mansbridge- and drummer Matthew Deakin — Ellis and company played a trio of songs: "To the Sandals," "Feathers, Cash" and the unreleased "Nest Among Stars"

[Recorded: 6/1/26. Engineered by  Jim O'Hara and Holden Buckley. Produced by Meghan Suma. Videographers: Olivia Iannaccone, Alena Godas, Kellie McGuinness and Danny Cifelli]