The Divine Comedy is Neil Hannon.
He is a singer, lyricist, composer and musician and he produces his records. He also owns his label: Divine Comedy Records. He worked with Tom Jones and Robbie Williams, to cite a few, and wrote songs for Ute Lemper or Charlotte Gainsbourg.
Neil Hannon created The Divine Comedy in the late 80s with two schoolmates. Together, they recorded an album, Fanfare For The Comic Muse, but the band split up shortly after.
In September 1993, Neil Hannon took up the name The Divine Comedy to release Liberation. From that time on, TDC was to be a concept led by one man, though sometimes involving many musicians.
In 1996, the single Something For The Weekend, taken from the album Casanova, unexpectedly raised TDC up into the British charts.
With the turn of the century, TDC signed with Parlophone, under which label his released three albums: Regeneration, Absent Friends and Victory For The Comic Muse.
Neil Hannon claims influence by Electric Light Orchestra, Scott Walker, Jacques Brel, Kurt Weil, U2, REM or also Michael Nyman. Neil's songs are famous for their irony as well as their baroque orchestration and have influenced Rufus Wrainwright, Duke Special, The Thrills and Vincent Delerm and Yann Tiersen in France.
a short site is dedicated to Neil Hannon and The Divine Comedy, but also to the people who have worked with him, like Joby Talbot and Bryan Mills, who enjoy a brilliant solo career.
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Latest news (13/05/2013)
The Duckworth Lewis Method has announced the release of their second album entitled Sticky Wickets. It will be released on CD and LP by Divine Comedy Records on Monday 1 July (and on Friday 28th June in Ireland).
Thomas aka Duckworth said: “Lewis and myself felt it would be at least 20 years before the world would want another ‘Duckworth Lewis Method’ album. But it rains a lot in Ireland so we revised our prediction of 20 years by using the Duckworth Lewis Method and it turns out we only needed to wait 4 years.” Neil aka Lewis added: “It’s all Duckworth’s fault.”
The album features 12 songs written by Neil Hannon and Thomas Walsh, and recorded in Dublin and London this year with help of guitarist Tosh Flood and arrangements by Andrew Skeet.
- Sticky Wickets
- Boom Boom Afridi
- It’s Just Not Cricket
- The Umpire
- Third Man
- Chin Music
- Out In The Middle
- Line And Length
- The Laughing Cavaliers
- Judd’s Paradox
- Mystery Man
- Nudging And Nurdling
Many guests are also expected on the album; rumours have included so far Nelson Bragg, Nick Seymour, Bill Cooper, Dave Gregory (XTC), Matt Berry, Carl Barât, Alexander Armstrong, Chris Addison, Henry Blofeld, David Hepworth, Phill Jupitus and Dermot Magennis.
The first single ‘It’s Just Not Cricket’ has already been revealed.
The band is scheduled to play a couple of concerts:
- At the Nottingham Playhouse on Tuesday 9 July to celebrate the opening of The Ashes.
- A headline show in London’s Shepherds Bush Empire on Saturday 21 September.
Latest updates (22/11/2012)
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