“Well, that was great craic”
A comment I heard quite a few times on leaving The Divine Comedy’s last gig of their tour, at The Waterfront Hall. Neil Hannon and his band had just delivered a high calibre evening of musical excellence, featuring their trademark quirky tales and gloriously lush melodies, but the overriding feeling was that of a great fun night.
Dressed in a sharp suit and pop star sunglasses, Hannon delivers the first song of the night, the affecting, ‘Sunrise’, his personal take on the Troubles, differing identities, shared space, and hope for a better future:
From the corner of my eye, a hint of blue in the black sky
A ray of hope, a beam of light, an end to thirty years of night
The church-bells ring, the children sing
What is this strange and beautiful thing
It’s the Sunrise
Can you see the sunrise?
I can see the sunrise
Neil, universally feted as a writer of great wit, charm, and sensitivity, never seems to get the credit as a vocalist, yet on this song alone, his voice soars and fills the huge auditorium, and is hugely emotional.
“Well, that’s enough of the politics now, let’s get on with the entertainment”
And that’s exactly what he did. Classy pop song, after intuitive ballad, after hook-laden song. All crisply delivered amid a party-like atmosphere, that even Mr. Johnson would find hard to deny.
It’s a greatest hits tour, and when the hits are as accessible and infectious as ‘Indie Disco’, ‘Queuejumper’, ‘Something For the Weekend’, among so many others, this was always going to be a homecoming triumph.
We are treated to the oft-requested, yet rarely heard. ‘My Lovely Horse’, from Father Ted. Mr. Hannon, tongue very firmly in cheek chides the audience for some quiet, ‘Very meaningful”, as he delivers the song’s poetic and tender lines.
I’m fairly sure I saw at least one fan moved to tears with this tender evocation of equine devotion, but it was that kind of a gig. I can’t remember the last time I heard huge applause for an accordion solo at a rock gig, but this is the Divine Comedy.
Highlights are plentiful, but powerful versions of ‘Gin Soaked Boy’, and newish song ‘The Best Mistakes’ are quite superb.
With a short intermission, Hannon is able to maintain the intensity with ‘Lady of a Certain Age’, and the fun factor with ‘How Could you Leave’, almost simultaneously. As if to drive the boisterous energy of the crowd that little bit higher, we are treated to a propulsive version of ‘National Express’.
Cue a group of ladies who formed the 9.45 conga bus from block A to Block B, with request stops to pick up more passengers along the route. Sympathy too for the security staff who at this point realised that trying to get people to remain in their seats and stop dancing in the aisles, was as futile as trying to explain the difference between ‘small’, and ‘far away’, to Fr. Dougal Maguire. Neil, being Neil, couldn’t help but make one last political quip, dedicating ‘Tonight We Fly’ to “Your working politicians when they all get back to work.”
23 songs delivered with a zest and a Joie de vie, whilst dolling out knockout comedic lines and fielding good-natured heckles from the thoroughly delighted crowd. People left the venue with grins on their faces, and tunes on their lips, having nestled in an evening of excellence and merriment, feeling that little bit better about the world.