A Sort of Homecoming - The Divine Comedy live in Derry

It has been ten years since I last saw The Divine Comedy perform in Derry. It was on a cold winter night in early 1996 upstairs in a packed Gweedore Bar supporting the now defunct English indie band Gene. Despite the packed-in-like-sardines induced heat, Neil Hannon still sported a trademark tailored suit and exuded the persona of a star on the rise. With his breakthrough Casanova album set to be released a few months later, no-one can dispute in hindsight that such self-belief was totally warranted.


Ten years, a succession of highly acclaimed albums, hit singles and band line-up changes later and Hannon has returned to the City of his birth for a show in a venue that was only just at the planning stage when he treaded the boards of the Gweedore all those years earlier.


The support act tonight was yet another Irish rising star. Duke Special, also known as Belfast-born Peter Wilson, is a dreadlocked piano-driven pop aficionado in the vain of Rufus Wainwright with elements of Randy Newman thrown in for good measure.

His set featured tracks from his acclaimed latest album Songs from the Deep Forest, such as ‘Brixton Leaves’, ‘Portrait’ and the instantly infectious and dreamlike ‘Freewheel’. Backed by percussionist Chip Bailey, who introduced some bizarre Tom Waits-like implements to assist in keeping rhythm, Duke Special’s set was tailor-made for a venue such as The Forum. A stark rendition of Ralph McTell’s ‘It’s a Long Way from Clare to Here’ echoed around the room capturing the audience’s full attention with such a sweet sound. Duke Special returns to the City for his own headline gig in March next year. He made a few new friends tonight and is certain to pack wherever he plays.

With a large red ‘V’ sign leering behind and above the drum kit, it seemed evident that we would hear a number of tracks from The Divine Comedy’s most recent album Victory for the Comic Muse. Surprisingly the new tracks did not dominate as some had expected.

The set opened with the new lively and upbeat ‘Mother Dear’. Without a seconds pause it was followed by a revisit to 1996’s Casanova with ‘Becoming More like Alfie.’ The set scanned the entire back catalogue, taking in tracks from Promenade, Liberation and the post-Casanova output.

The choppy pop rhythms of tracks such as ‘Diva Lady’ and ‘Generation Sex’ stood in sharp contrast with the seated environment of the Forum. Those brave few who could not ignore the impulse to stand up and shimmy were duly ‘torched and seated’ by the staff. Their endeavours did not go unnoticed by Mr Hannon who said, “it’s much more fun when standing up. Not I would condone a breaking of the rules or anything.”

Before going into ‘Something for the Weekend’ he announced the track as, “controversial in that it may make you wish to stand up and dance again.” As one of the anthems of the nineties, there was nothing the staff could do. The opening chimes followed by Hannon’s declaration of ‘YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO’, saw every bum off the seat with hands in the air partying like it was 1996. Staying on the topic of Prince, the crowd were kept on their feet with a surprise cover of the Purple One’s classic ‘Raspberry Beret’, which saw Hannon having some fun with a pretty accurate Prince impersonation.

“It’s great to be back in the City of my birth,” announced Hannon to rapturous applause. “I thought you were from Enniskillen”, a female voice from the crowd shouted back. “Well, you are mistaken Madame,” replied Hannon with a witty old fashioned virtue that has held him in good stead down through the years in an industry where such personality is an endangered species.

Old favourite ‘Songs of Love’, a track embedded in the hearts of all who watch classic sitcom Father Ted, had the hands swaying again. Regular show closer ‘Tonight We Fly’ got everyone back on their feet with its stomping march ‘over the mountains, the beach and the sea.’

The crowd remained on their feet demanding an encore and there was no better song to end the night with than ‘National Express’ with its music hall leanings and its hilarious take on fashion faux-pas – “Mini-skirts were in style when she danced down the aisle back in '63. But it's hard to get by when your arse is the size of a small country.”

Everybody sang. Everybody danced. The floor staff earned their crust. That night in the Gweedore was a long time ago by this stage. After tonight in the Forum, it’s pleasing to see that one of Ireland’s finest songsmiths still has so much to offer ten years on.

Here's a little taste of the kind of thing we saw: