Michael Hann

There’s a magic to hearing music in such small audiences: Divine Comedy reviewed

Plus: one felt sad for Working Men's Club, whose first tour comprised of three half-hour shows in one evening in one London club with everyone seated

'The best hour I've spent in a very long time': Neil Hannon of Divine Comedy performing at the Barbican. Image: Mark Allan/Barbican

Three shows in a week! Why, it was just like the first week of March. There was, however, little of that last-days-of-Weimar giddiness about these. How could there be, when there were 300-odd people dotted around Barbican Hall’s 2,000 seats, and 50 or so of us at Oslo — normally a packed, standing-only club — sat on stools, unable even to waggle a hip?

One felt sad for Working Men’s Club, a young quartet from Yorkshire whose first album — released earlier this month — had critics cheering.

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