Neil Hannon’s The Divine Comedy have recently completed their UK and European tour and one of their highly anticipated shows was Belfast’s historic Ulster Hall back in October.

The Belfast venue was packed to the gills with dedicated fans filling in early, hoping to get closer to the front of the venue to get closer to Enniskillen raised Neil Hannon.

Hannon’s band was formed in Enniskillen in 1989 and Hannon has claimed that the name was inspired by books he had seen on his father, former Bishop of Clogher Right Reverend Brian Hannon including Dante’s epic poem The Divine Comedy.

The Divine Comedy’s latest album Office Politics is a ‘concept album’ which focuses on the role of machinery in the modern office. The stage for the evening mirrors a stereotypical office filled with computers, desk lamps and a giant clock serving as a marker for the time passing in the office. The stage was carefully lit by florescent style lights- further emphasising the concept of the office that Hannon and his band wished to create.

Neil’s vocal filled the hall launching into ‘Commuter Love’ and beaming out to the crowd and declaring, “Welcome to my office!” It was clear throughout the concert that both the band and their audience were having a great time. Highlights included ‘Norman and Norma’, the lead single from their latest album.

The style switched between the classic chamber pop that The Divine Comedy have become known and loved for and more experimental songs such as ‘The Synthesiser Service Centre Super Summer Sale’ which experiments with synthesisers and rapping and added a new layer to an already diverse sound.

The lights dimmed before coming up again with Neil and his bandmates all donning party hats and their stage decked out with balloons before beginning “the office party” leading into beloved hit ‘Something for the Weekend’, swapping the coffee cups that originally sat on the desks for cans of beer.

As the night drew to a close, some of the crowd began shouting, “play My Lovely Horse”. The band exited the stage before coming back to play an encore of ‘National Express’ and ‘Songs of Love’ – a treat for their devoted audience.