Ulster Hall gig is just divine

Neil Hannon, one of the country’s foremost songwriters, releases a wonderful new Divine Comedy album entitled Office Politics on June 7, and in support of the album, the Divine Comedy will be playing at the Ulster Hall on October 7.

Born in Londonderry, Hannon is the son of a Bishop of the Church of Ireland - “possibly not a typical pop star background,” he acknowledges.

He is the founder and only consistent member of The Divine Comedy, who achieved unlikely pop stardom during the Britpop boom of the nineties with a slightly preposterous mix of archaic musical styles, hook laden melodies and audaciously witty lyrics.

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The new album is a 16 track tour de force full of inventive, timeless music peopled with a typically irreverent cast of characters. “It has synthesizers. And songs about synthesizers,” said Neil. “But don’t panic. It also has guitars, orchestras, accordions, and songs about love and greed. I do try to make normal records. But it always seems to wander off into odd territories.”