Tag Archives: The Divine Comedy

THE SOUND OF 2021

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It’s that time of year where people do End Of Year Lists and this blog is no different with the now traditional chart of the best songs of the year.

Nothing scientific, just a scroll through The Friday Fives and trying to put them in order of songs I love the most.

Enjoy, hope i’ve helped you discover something you’ve never heard before

  1. Maneskin – Zitti E Buoni
  2. Gaspard Auge – Force Majeure
  3. Alfie Templeman – Everybody’s Gonna Love Somebody
  4. Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – The Mighty Quinn
  5. Sam Fender – Seventeen Going Under
  6. Wesley Gonzalez and Rose Elinor Dougall – Greater Expectations
  7. Tears For Fears – Tipping Point
  8. The Weeknd – Save Your Tears
  9. Lonelady – There Is No Logic
  10. Chvrches – Good Girls
  11. Rag n Bone Man – All You Ever Wanted
  12. Amy Montgomery – Anywhere
  13. Lorde – Solar Power
  14. Coldplay – Higher Power
  15. Laura Mvula – Got Me
  16. The Anxiety – Meet Me At Our Spot
  17. Griff – One Foot In Front Of The Other
  18. Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – We’re On Our Way Now
  19. Dermot Kennedy – Better Days
  20. Tom Grennan – Little Bit Of Love
  21. Taylor Swift – All Too Well (Taylor’s version)
  22. Sting – Rushing Water
  23. Holly Humberstone – The Walls Are Way Too Thin
  24. Marshmello and Jonas Brothers – Leave Before You Love Me
  25. Griff – One Night
  26. Royal Blood – Limbo
  27. The Alarm – The Red Wall Of Cymru
  28. Tears For Fears – No Small Thing
  29. Tix – Fallen Angel
  30. Chvrches – The Killing Moon
  31. Harry Styles – Treat People With Kindness
  32. The Roop – Discotheque
  33. Sigrid – Burning Bridges
  34. Baby Queen – Dover Beach
  35. Maisie Peters – John Hughes Movie
  36. Villagers – So Simpatico
  37. Alphabeat – Danmark’s Dynamite
  38. Jendrik – I Don’t Feel Hate
  39. Hooverphonic – The Wrong Place
  40. Jeangu Macrooy – Birth Of A New Age
  41. Andy Bell – Skywalker
  42. U2 – Your Song Saved My Life
  43. The Fratellis – Yes Sir I Can Boogie
  44. Olivia Rodrigo – Good 4 U
  45. Chvrches – He Said, She Said
  46. Mike Patton – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turles
  47. Olivia Rodrigo – Deja Vu
  48. Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – We’re Gonna Get There In The End
  49. The Divine Comedy – The Best Mistakes
  50. Franz Ferdinand – Billy Goodbye

So congratulations to Maneskin. There isn’t a formal prize on offer, but you can still bask in the glory of coming top of this poll and joining the Hall Of Fame below.

2020 Tame Impala – Lost In Yesterday
2019 Vampire Weekend – Harmony Hill
2018 Lovelytheband – Broke
2017 Liam Gallagher – For What It’s Worth
2016 The Strumbellas – Spirits
2015 Blossoms – Charlamagne
2014 Jamie T – Zombie
2013 Haim – The Wire
2012 Taylor Swift – We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together
2011 Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – AKA What A Life
2010 Marina and the Diamonds – Shampain
2009 Little Boots – New In Town
2008 Sons and Daughter – Darling
2007 Feist – 1, 2, 3, 4
2006 Kasabian – Empire

THE SOUND OF 2019

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So 2019 is now over and we are almost in 2020.

Seeing as everybody is doing End Of Year Reviews, I thought i’d join the party, albeit a bit belatedly.

So here is my Top 50 Songs Of 2019. There’s no scientific formula to this list. I just went through 2019s Friday Fives and decided to spend an hour and rank the songs in order of favouriteness.

In a change from previous years, it’s only a Top 50 as it would probably take me until 2021 to do a Top 100.

1. Vampire Weekend – Harmony Hill
2. Sigrid – Mine Right Now
3. Taylor Swift ft Brendon Urie – Me
4. Dermot Kennedy – Outnumbered
5. Catfish and the Bottlemen – Longshot
6. Liam Gallagher – Shockwave
7. Sam Fender – Hypersonic Missiles
8. Two Door Cinema Club – Talk
9. Freya Ridings – Castles
10. Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – Wandering Star
11. Tom Walker – Just You and I
12. Billie Eilish – Bury A Friend
13. Pet Shop Boys ft Olly Alexander – Dreamland
14. Of Monsters And Men – Alligator
15. Chvrches and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra – Miracle
16. Kygo ft Whitney Houston – Higher Love
17. Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – Black Star Dancing
18. Bastille – Joy
19. Coldplay – Orphans
20. Liam Gallagher – Now That I’ve Found You
21. Sam Fender – Will We Talk
22. Gang Of Youths – What Can I Do If The Fire Goes Out?
23. Editors – Black Gold
24. Bastille – Can’t Fight This Feeling
25. Bloxx – Go Out With You
26. Katy Perry – Never Really Over
27. Blossoms – Your Girlfriend
28. Muse – Hungry Like The Wolf
29. The Courteeners – Heavy Jacket
30. Billie Eilish – Bad Guy
31. Chemical Brothers – MAH
32. Jade Bird – Lottery
33. Haim – Now I’m In It
34. Crystal – Just Can’t Get Enough
35. Rick Astley – Every One Of Us
36. Chvrches – Death Stranding
37. OMD – Don’t Go
38. The Divine Comedy – Infernal Machines
39. Vic and Bob – Bono’s Cooking Some Pork
40. Miles Kane – That’s Life
41. Liam Gallagher – The River
42. The Divine Comedy – Queuejumper
43. Weezer ft Tears For Fears – Everybody Wants To Rule The World
44. The Vaccines – All My Friends Are Falling In Love
45. Dua Lipa – Don’t Start Now
46. Shakespear’s Sister – All The Queen’s Horses
47. Lizzo – Juice
48. Rose Elinor Dougall – First Sign
49. Miley Cyrus – Nothing Breaks Like A Heart
50. Dea Matrona – Let’s Go Crazy

Congratulations to Vampire Weekend. There’s no physical prize, but they can just boast about it everywhere they go. Ideally, they’d be doing so in Belfast before a concert. Hint hint.

If you care, here’s the list of previous winners (NOTE: The 2006-2008 Countdowns were on Bebo, and have now been wiped from internet history)

2018 Lovelytheband – Broken
2017 Liam Gallagher – For What It’s Worth
2016 The Strumbellas – Spirits
2015 Blossoms – Charlemagne
2014 Jamie T – Zombie
2013 Haim – The Wire
2012 Taylor Swift – We Are Never Getting Back Together
2011 Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – AKA …… What A Life
2010 Marina and the Diamons – Shampain
2009 Little Boots – New In Town
2008 Sons and Daughters – Darling
2007 Feist – 1, 2, 3, 4
2006 Kasabian – Empire

2019 IN PICTURES – OCTOBER

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October 2019 began with a trip to Seaview to see Linfield take on Crusaders.

A busy month of concerts began a few days later with a trip to Ulster Hall to see The Divine Comedy.

There was even some Street Art spotted during the month, heading to Stephen Street to see a mural of The Joker and Catwoman

The next day, I was on the road to Dungannon to see Linfield beat Dungannon Swifts 4-1.

From there, it was another concert, a first visit to The Telegraph Building, to see Two Door Cinema Club.

The flipping between football and concerts continued as I headed to Windsor Park to see Linfield take on Ballymena United. The following midweek saw a football/concert double header, seeing Linfield take on Warrenpoint Town, before seeing OMD at Ulster Hall.

October’s photo adventures ended with a trip to see Linfield take on Coleraine, the month beginning and ending for me with a 1-0 defeat.

Crusaders v Linfield

The Divine Comedy live at Ulster Hall

The Divine Comedy live at Ulster Hall Photo Album

Joker and Catwoman Mural

Joker and Catwoman Mural Photo Album

Dungannon Swifts v Linfield

Two Door Cinema Club live at The Telegraph Building

Two Door Cinema Club live at The Telegraph Building Photo Album

Linfield v Ballymena United

Linfield v Warrenpoint Town

OMD live at Ulster Hall

OMD live at Ulster Hall Photo Album

Coleraine v Linfield

THE DIVINE COMEDY – LIVE AT ULSTER HALL 7.10.2019

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A busy month of concerts for me saw The Divine Comedy (Two Door Cinema Club and OMD to follow in the coming weeks) take to the stage at Ulster Hall, my first concert in four months, if you don’t include Edwyn Collins instore appearance at Strange Victory last month.

That concert by Edwyn Collins has raised the bar though, now i’m expecting tea and cake at every show I go to.

I was tempted, two days before this, to go and see John Power in Warrenpoint. If Linfield were away to Warrenpoint on Saturday, that would have sealed the deal. If I did end up doing a Football/Concert double header, I would have seen seven goals and got drenched. I sat at home and stayed dry.

Death, Taxes, Cast at The Limelight. But maybe not this year.

You were spoilt for choice on this particular evening. You had Keane (who I haven’t seen and would have love to have went, but I had my ticket for this before Keane were announced) at Waterfront Hall or you could have had Little Mix at The Odyssey if you wanted.

I wasn’t really that fussed on Little Mix, so were The Divine Comedy worth missing Keane for? Well, you’ll have to read on.

I’m just grateful that anybody is playing in Belfast these days. The last few months have seen Simple Minds, Pet Shop Boys, Stereophonics, Blossoms and Liam Gallagher all announce tours with no Belfast gig. Flip sake.

Support came from a band called Man and the Echo, who sound like Echo and the Bunnymen backwardsand featured a Keyboardist who fancied himself as Ron Mael, were decent, with a few toetapping tunes

The Divine Comedy are touring their latest album, called Office Politics, a concept album about life in an office.

The stage was set up like and office, with and in door and an out door.

Annoying they didn’t walk in through the out door, as a sort of tribute to Prince.

Neil Hannon, the impish little frontman appeared on stage and you couldn’t miss him, wearing a suit with images of a Test Card and wearing sunglasses indoors ……… in October.

And yet, he still managed to not look like Colin Hunt from The Fast Show.

It was an outfit that Hannon would decribed as “Hot”, stating that nobody told him how hot it would be.

This current album didn’t get an instore appearance at HMV in Belfast to support it like the last album, the people of Manchester had that honour. So, this would be the first the people would get to hear it.

This album made up most of the playlist, with Hannon stating that he is at a disadvantage in terms of research, as he doesn’t work in an office in his day job as a Pop Star, with his business being that of Show.

Part of this show was theatrical with a clock in the background being manually adjusted to take us on a journey through the working day. This work was done by a Roadie called Alistair, who got some sympathy from the crowd during the band’s last Ulster Hall gig after Hannon told him off.

The lights went down, and by the time they went back up, the band were wearing party hats, holding a balloon, as it was time for the Office Christmas Party.

And what song would kick off this party? Something For The Weekend, of course.

Hannon then disappeared into the pit between Stage and Floor, he was engaging in a “Watercooler moment”, although not many would have been able to see it. He then went on to make fun of people who work in HR. Less of that please.

As Hannon prepared inbetween songs, there would always be someone shouting “Play My Lovely Horse”. He was rather polite in his rejection of any such request, even though the temptation would have been to shout “Feck off”.

There would be at least one Father Ted song on the setlist, Songs Of Love, an instrumental version of which was the theme to the show.

For the encore, we were treated to a stripped back version of National Express. It worked, surprisingly so when you consider how big and loud the song is.

I wonder if they fancy doing some overtime?

Photo Album

The Divine Comedy live at Ulster Hall 2017

The Divine Comedy live at Custom House Square 2017

The Divine Comedy live at HMV Belfast 2016

THE FRIDAY FIVE – 17.5.2019

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1. Taylor Swift ft Brendon Urie – Me
2. The Divine Comedy – Queuejumper
3. Oasis – Stop Crying Your Heart Out
4. Billy Joel – We Didn’t Start The Fire
5. Wham! – Wake Me Up Before You Go Go

I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but it’s Eurovision this weekend. So, to get you in the mood, as if you need to be got into the mood, here’s a chart for you

FIVE SONGS FROM EUROVISION

1. Rasmussen – Higher Ground
2. Katrina and the Waves – Love Shine A Light
3. A Friend In London – New Tomorrow
4. Johnny Logan – Hold Me Now
5. Anna Rossinelli – In Love For A While