divine comedy at summer sundae 2007

The Divine Comedy at Summer Sundae 2007 - Friday

The Divine Comedy - set list review. With plenty from the most recent

album (much loved by Anna), but very mindful of the delights of his

substantial repetoire, this was a great performance.

Die a Virgin: a wonderful opening, perfectly showing of Hannon's

continued expert charm and sexy posing.

National Express: Sing-a-long!!! Hannon in full-on wit commentary drew

very cheering singing from the audience. It may have been the height

of his silly phase, but he has clearly become more at ease with this

aspect of himself.

Diva Lady: Like it's companion piece "Lady of A Certain Age", it well

proves that Hannon hasn't lost his touch for incisive analysis.

** Between song banter: Hannon tells us how wonderful we are as an

audience - "others have told you, but I mean it", promising us "I'm

your one and only" which cues sharp intake of breath from some

desirious audience members....

He then introduces the next track as a commentary about the "social

delapidation of the state"**

Generation Sex: ah, the t-shirt I have for this still makes me smile

because only Hannon or Jarvis could get away with its sentiments.

Lady of A Certain Age: bigger than its acoustic version in the hub,

this track was no less magnificent for all its extras. As Anna said,

this is Hannon's 'The Art Teacher' - a song that brilliantly captures

the passing of time, memory and poignant observation of a more vibrant

past.

The Light of Day: the finely orchestrated balladeering of the Divine

Comedy has long been one of their trademarks and this proved no

exception.

** Between song banter: "right, back to the smutty stuff!"**

Something for the Weekend: one of my very favourite bits of innuendo

and dark humour, this was wonderfully well received by the

enthusiastic crowd.

** Between song banter: "I'm not as young as I used to be!... can't do

many of those in a row anymore... I may as well confess, I'm 36. I got

a bad back moving some furniture: for fuck's sake! Oh dear....I

shouldn't say those sort of things given my next song's about my

mother..."**

Mother Dear: as said of the Hub version, it could easily have been too

cloyingly sentimental. Instead it feels heart-felt and touching.

Probably not a song everyone could love, but I found it lovely.

** Between song banter: reaching to put back on his sunglasses - they

were on, then off, then on throughout the night - Hannon jokes that he

can "get away with it because you know I don't mean it... except that

I do, but I don't, but I do... ah, layers of meaning..."**

When the Lights Go Out All Over Europe: from album Promenade, that

this track fits in so well with the other more recent works is

testament to the continued talent that Hannon has bought to the Divine

Comedy project. It remains one of his most lush tracks.

** Between song banter: As the sound system picks up some random

sounds, Hannon joshes that they're "picking up the local taxi channel

- sounds like a Radiohead gig" before launching into a song in three

parts about economics, religion and revolution.

The Plough: A tart observation of people's rebellion and realisations

of the ways of the world, drawing some world-weary singing of the

refrain "I'll plough my own furrow, I'll go my own way".

Mastermind: Regeneration was, at the time, not a well-loved move from

Hannon as he ditched the suits and went for the ragged indie look, but

the songs still had a verve that could not be surpressed. Amazon

described "Watching Neil Hannon's career has been a little like

witnessing the spirits of Scott Walker and Jonathan King fighting for

control of the same mind." Regeneration may have lacked the fluffy,

smutty stuff of his previous couple of albums, but it retained his

sparkly commentary.

Your Daddy's Car: with glasses off again, we went for a spin in our

favourite vehicle.

** Between song banter: striking an inadvertant chord, Hannon

quippingly sings "It's been a hard day's night" as the band launch

into...**

Becoming More Like Alfie: done in a funked up style, this again had

the crowd joyfully singing along.

Lucy: an early favourite of mine, not least for its appropriation of

William Wordsworth, from the lovely first proper album Liberation.

Don't Look Down: another early track, this time from Promenade. That

these much earlier tracks sit so elegantly alongside his most recent

work shows a continuity of form that others must envy.

Tonight We Fly: Awh, man! The rising pace of this track just swells

the heart thinking about it! A wonderful end to the main set.

** Between song banter: after a brief exit, the band are cheered on to

the stage and three shadowed figures tap at the lefthand keyboard to

give us a quick 'Threesome' - something that causes him to remark that

he'd "just had a threesome with Andrew and his wife. I never thought

I'd say that..!" He then goes on to try and introduce the next song as

a love song about a love triangle, inducing the crowd to willfully

yell "My Lovely Horse" in request. Gamely refuting this request and

chastising the audience that "it's not a love song, it's about a

lovely horse" he goes on to introduce...**

Our Mutual Friend: A stand-out track from his previous album, Absent

Friends, this is by turns both touching and raw. The performance of

this track is especially excellent with the strings really coming into

their own.

Sunrise: having paused just briefly to ask how we were doing, the band

launch into the aching sweep of this especially autobiographical

track. It was a fitting finale.

With a stage of hanging chandelier-esque lighting, a singer on top

flirtatious and entertainer form, and a band of excellent musicianship

and beautiful strings, it was a perfect end to the first day.