The subtitle for this short tour by Enniskillen's poshest could have been "Becoming More Like Scott". Neil Hannon was back, having reclaimed the Dante-inspired band name for himself, with a veritable ensemble of musicians taking the strain behind his back.
Indeed the 15-piece band backing Neil on this five-date jaunt, which also took in London, Edinburgh and Dublin, went under the name of the Millenia Ensemble.
Obviously the reason behind these shows was promotion of the Divine Comedy's new record "Absent Friends" and accordingly the set-list for these shows heavily reflected this. But with extra musicianship and instrumentation at his disposal, Neil couldn't resist also delving liberally into his luscious back catalogue, albeit in an apparently lucky-dip sort of way.
The set-list for both the shows that I was lucky enough to catch was pretty much the same, which meant that the new single, and title track of the new album, Absent Friends commenced proceedings. On both occasions, this lush, sweeping song suffered from being played tentatively as seemingly the band and the sound crew needed time to get to know each other properly within the new surroundings.
The Tomorrow's World theme - and Short Album opener - "In Pursuit Of Happiness" was next and again the line-up seemed to be going through the motions; note-perfect, but controlled and within themselves.
Already by this time, though, something significant had revealed itself... Neil was very much laying his songs at Johnny Mathis' feet here. He was not only in fine voice, but was also dominating the stage like the star he always claimed he would be and in a way which belied his diminuitive stature.
By the end of the second song from the new album, "Sticks And Stones", nobody was in any doubt that Mr Hannon had regained some direction and purpose to his music and had decided that the small suit and big voice were the way to go right now. "Leaving Today", which followed, is the most Walker-esque composition on the new record and cemented this solid, if musically unspectacular, beginning to the gigs. Neil was even 'controlling' the hand-held mic to perfectly balance out the differing volume levels of his voice; the guy has clearly been having lessons.
The single "Come Home Billy Bird" was played, as was "Certainty Of Chance" and a fantastic rendition of "When The Lights Go Out All Over Europe" before Neil bowled his googly. In Liverpool it was introduced merely as something he found in a Berlin beer-hall, in Paris it was prefacted by a full narrative (translated into French by a member of the road crew) about leaf-collecting in Bavaria... whatever. The cover version of "No One Knows" by Queens Of The Stone Age, performed with orchestral strings to the fore, was simply stunning. Promenade favourite "Don't Look Down" closed out the first set, then it was 20 minute interval. In Liverpool, time for a Becks; in Paris, barely enough time for a piss...
The ridiculously catchy National Express got the second half on the road, before making way for another single, Generation Sex, which sounded much better live than on record. Next came the Father Ted theme, Songs of Love, performed superbly on both nights.
A version of The Booklovers followed where, instead of the names of various writers being read in the verses, extracts from a book were recited. In Liverpool, Neil did the honours himself, but in Paris he introduced a guest to the stage - local favourite Vincent Delerm - who as well as reading the text, added some expert backing vocals to the chorus. He also ended his reading with a tribute, in French, to Neil saying he'd spent a year of his life listening to nothing but Promenade. It was an interesting if not entirely convincing adaptation of the song.
A brace of songs from the latest album followed - The Happy Goth and Our Mutual Friend - before a pair of golden oldies were wheeled out. Three Sisters from Liberation and Neptune's Daughter from Promenade had never been heard live by these ears before, but with the orchestra in their element, I'm glad they were selected this time.
The set was closed out, as usual, by Tonight We Fly, before Neil and guests returned to the stage for versions of Something For The Weekend and Sunrise.
All in all, it was a magnificent pair of performances by Neil and friends. The Paris one was more polished, justifiably because the Liverpool show was the first of the tour, and both would have been more enjoyable had we had better seats, but I'm not going to complain; I felt fortunate to have been there - the Manchester show in June has sold out and I won't be seeing him again this year!
Alan, 06/06/2004