At The Barrier return to a favourite venue for the opening night of The Divine Comedy 2025 UK tour, as they showcase their 13th studio album Rainy Sunday Afternoon.

A CHANGE OF DIRECTION

Rainy Sunday Afternoon as a title strongly hints at what lies within, there is a definite tilt in mood and pacing when compared to earlier works. The album is more reflective and subdued than some of the band’s sunnier, more extroverted pop outings. Rather than big sing-along Brit-Pop moments, the record leans into elegiac chamber-pop and intimate storytelling — a retrospective of middle age rather than the glossier, ironic celebration of earlier eras.

However, Neil Hannon’s signature traits remain — literate, wry lyricism, strong melodic gift and orchestral/chamber-pop arranging. Listeners will still hear the kind of string and brass textures and theatrical vocal phrasing that marked records such as Casanova (1996) and Fin de Siècle (1998).

SHARPENED INSTINCTS

Hannon’s work on cinematic songs is credited with sharpening his arranging instincts for this album. “My musical output is, for better or worse, a representation of my personality,” Hannon admits. “A good chunk of that personality revels in the rumbumptious; celebrates the silly. And I made ample use of that for the Wonka songs.”

“I have, though, like everyone, a darker, more melancholy side. And for one reason or another it has been much in evidence of late…I needed to use this album as an outlet for those feelings. To work through some stuff. Mortality; memories; relationships; political and social upheaval. Everyone should get to make an orchestral pop album once in a while. It should be available on the NHS.”

The album has been well-received, Clash praised it highly (one of their top Divine Comedy records), while other outlets such as The Arts Desk and Far Out described it as mature and contemplative. There has been well-deserved praise Hannon’s songwriting craft, orchestral arranging and the emotional honesty of the songs.

Rainy Sunday Afternoon has also performed admirably, entering the Official Album Chart at number 4, taking the number 1 spot in the Independent Album chart and; curiously, peaking at number 1 in the French Top 100 Rock & Metal chart.

AN EXTENDED SET

A sold-out Royal Liverpool Philharmonic is unaware of the scale of treats that await them. Having sneaked a long lens shot of the set-list, I knew that we were in for a mammoth set of 27 tracks, which cleverly intertwined some of the darker tunes, while not abandoning the crowd favourites.

The Divine Comedy were supported by Studio Electrophonique and it was clear from the start why they were chosen. The three piece from Sheffield being strongly influenced by The Divine Comedy, with their lead James Leesley admitting that Neil Hannon is his musical hero.

The band were clearly very nervous, and at times were threatened with being upstaged by a poorly behaved tape machine that hissed and crackled in all the wrong places. But; to their absolute credit, they made the most of their time on the stage and performed well to an appreciative audience – I’m sure that their confidence will grow, they’ll go from strength to strength on the back of solid songwriting – and they’ll hopefully be able to buy a new tape machine.

TRILBY OR FEDORA?

Following a briefish intermission, a seven-piece The Divine Comedy take to the stage – Neil Hannon sporting a rather magnificent hat (the jury is out on whether it was a trilby or a fedora) and glamorous scarf made his way to the front of the the stage. We kicked off with the opening track from Rainy Sunday Afternoon, Achilles, before back to more familiar ground with Generation Sex. The third song in the set The Last Time I saw the Old Man follows, and this is a real bruiser of a song. Widely reported as a tribute to Hannon’s father – this feels like the emotional centre of Rainy Sunday Afternoon. Its a direct, elegiac ballad with subtle orchestration; raw with emotional honesty – I’m not really sure how he got through that one.

There is a real skill in creating a set list when the album you’re showcasing is more reflective than some elements of your back catalogue, but the balance was well struck. Hannon reminded us that he’s 54 on couple of occasions and this was reflected in his confident persona on stage and quick, witty observations. As he tuned up for Don’t Mention the War, he commented that some of the audience might not know this one, before slightly flunking the guitar intro he quickly quipped ‘neither do I’.

ANYTHING FROM THE BAR?

The halfway point of the set marked a distinct shift, as we enjoy a trio that includes Norman and Norma, Something for the Weekend and the new, deliciously satirical Mar-a-Lago by the Sea. When I first heard this tune, it’s vibe felt reminiscent of a once classy, if now slightly fatigued lounge bar – so it was apt that this was the only moment during the 2 hour set where the band took anything that resembled a break. The break was however not especially restful as the band continued to play, and a rather marvellous 1970s style drinks trolley was wheeled out. Hannon dutifully served the band the refreshments of their choosing – before pouring himself a rather generous G&T, taking a seat and sliding into the track.

Still seated (aptly) we then hear The Man Who Turned into a Chair, which is one of the more light-hearted and waltzy tunes on Rainy Sunday Afternoon. It’s also trademark Hannon who took a telling-off from his Wife and turned it into a rather marvellous Hannon classic. For those interested, his misdemeanor that generated the rebuke was that he risked “turning into a fucking chair” if he continued to watch the cricket.

ALL ABOARD!

The final third of the gig included the superb A Lady of a Certain Age, the sublime Our Mutual Friend before the gentle, solo sung Other People. On his final note, a wry smile appeared across Hannon’s face as he performed a genre-180 and casually vocalised Bah bah bah bah, bah bah bah and the National Express has arrived.

If you haven’t heard National Express in person then you’ve not experienced one of the great, live music experiences – heck it’s fun enough on the car radio, but live is an all-together even more joyous, visceral experience, you’ll be smiling everytime you remember the moment, long after the final chords have rung out. I couldn’t see a single person who remained seated and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Hall became a riot of colour and audience participation.

ENCORE!

The official end of the set-list is marked with Tonight we Fly, before the band re-emerge for a three song encore – which doesn’t appear on the set list and seems to be curated on the spot, Songs of Love a makes a welcome appearance before we end in the edgiest of ways, with a new song! But I think it’s fair to say that we forgive Hannon for this, as his choice of Invisible Thread was an impeccable way to end the evening.

The Divine Comedy continue their 16 date UK tour, with most venues sold out, a few tickets remain and some production holds are being released. So why not catch this incredible band when they perform their extended set near you!

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