The Divine Comedy - 'Live At The Palladium' (Parlophone / EMI)
4/5
By: Toby L
What a weird bunch of bastards. Even this far down the line, The Divine Comedy seem, are, completely unfathomably outside - a Victorian interpretation of pop, doyleys and hankies, et al.
Yet, it's timeless for it. Neil Hannon retains pole position as quirkiest Jarvis Cocker-alike Irishman crooner-genius, and it's a title you can't imagine being swiped any time soon. And, joyously, after vowing to never perform his band's numerous hits ever again, he provokes a grandiose, glorious contradiction by playing goddamn near all of them in this delightful 'Live At The Palladium' concerto. This is where it's at; a 16-piece orchestra, an uproarious warble from a blonde thirty-something, and a clutch of tunes that made the final stages of the 20th Century a brighter place.
'National Express'; the 'Tomorrow's World' theme-tune 'In Pursuit Of Happiness'; the, erm, 'Father Ted' theme-tune 'Songs Of Love'; 'Generation Sex'; 'Becoming More Like Alfie'; and a penultimate 'Something For The Weekend'... With these treats, camp cad Hannon is truly spoiling us. Let alone that Queens of the Stone Age cover - you haven't lived 'til you've heard 'No One Knows' bludgeoned forth from the Millennia Ensemble Orchestra. Honestly, no shit.
But, particularly, newer matter from the band's most recent 'Absent Friends' LP suits the soiree; when suited, and in such refined splendour as the environs of the Palladium, Hannon belting out such classical-tinged pop anthemery as 'The Happy Goth', the title-track and an aching 'Charmed Life' seems unbeatable in context: at last, a home for the chilling expanse of the repertoire. And when the curtains finally call, almost two hours later, you can observe some lyrics, a photo gallery, promo-videos and a documentary. All hail the DVD. We wouldn't call them tight.
Religiously uncool, delightfully individual, and miraculously impeccable in verse - The Divine Comedy remain our most multifarious and glimmering oddball pop riot; and, tonight, they fly, all too effortlessly.
Artists in this article: The Divine Comedy
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