No strangers to live shows, Villagers have been performing at several festivals and touring the world with the likes of Neil Young, Tracey Chapman and Elbow. Their debut albumBecoming A Jackal was released in 2010, and nominations for the Mercury Prize and Q Awards ‘Breakthrough Artist’ soon followed. Most recently it has been announced that Villagers have been nominated for this years prestigious Ivor Novello Awards, in the category of Best Song Musically and Lyrically for the album title track.
Tonight, led by singer and songwriter talisman Conor O’Brien, the Dublin quintet bring their dense, eerie indie-pop melodies to the intimate 53 Degrees Club for the opening night of their tour. Now try to resist conjuring up imagery of Irish musos Bono or Lynott because Villagers have more in common with the carefully crafted folk-rock of Simon and Garfunkel.
After a scrupulous sound check, the surprisingly boyish O’Brien takes his position at centre of the small stage and opened the gig with the solo acoustic Cecelia & Her Selfhood. The song demands instant silence from the captivated crowd and as O’Brien catches you with his stare, without realising you are already hanging on his every word.
The rest of Villagers emerge in time for the second song of the night, album track The Meaning Of The Ritual. Another slow tempo number, but played with a greater intensity than on the album, O’Brien sings every haunting, heartfelt verse with an unrelenting passion. It is the energetic finish to the next song, Home, that sees the first proper applause of the show.
The set includes ten tracks from the critically acclaimed debut album. Becoming A Jackalis certainly the type of song that will stick with you for days and sounds even better live. The poetic lyrics are entrenched in a mysterious wall of sound, surely big enough to fill much larger venues in the near future. Pieces sees O’Brien howling at the moon as the song reaches its manic crescendo and those sufficiently inebriated howled back in appreciation. It’s a surreal moment but there are some genuinely touching ones too, when the more delicate members of the audience seem not to know whether to clap or cry.
As things literally hot up in the club, the Radiohead-inspired The Bell, the charming Pact (I’ll Be Your Fever) and Down Under The Sea are welcome toe-tappers in the set. We were also treated to faultless first live performances of The Grateful Song and Memoir. The set closed with the bounding drumbeats of Ship Of Promises and O’Brien leaving his fans thirsty for more.
A few cheers and howls later the band re-appeared for a three song encore, beginning with the Nick Drake-esque In A New Found Land You Are Free. O’Brien announces that we will be ending, “On a depressing note,” with On A Sunlit Stage. But the atmosphere is far from sombre as the talented band exit stage left to well earned echoes of applause. “This has been a very nice start to the tour,” indeed.
As we gather our thoughts, it is time to find our way home – with the Jackal’s cry still ringing in my head.
Review: Liam Carroll
Photography: Zoe Taylor (ZT Photography
