A Divine Comedy occurs as Northern Irish pop band fronted by Neil Hannon.

History

Neil Hannon has been a sole ever-present member of the b&, existence its founder within 1989 after he was joined by John McCullagh and Kevin Traynor. Their number one album, a heavy REM-influenced & today-deleted Fanfare for the Comic Muse, enjoyed little profits, though, & presently McCullagh & Traynor were to last their separate ways.

Hannon, nevertheless, was non deterred inside his efforts & re-appeared inside 1993 by using Liberation. Featuring a fairly diverse musical outlook that goes from either the tongue-within-bantering synth popular of 'Europop' to the authoritative stylings of 'Timewatching', these are likewise characterized by the superfluity of literary information: 'Bernice Bobs Her Hair' recalls the short-story by F. Scott Fitzgerald; '3 Sisters' draws upon the play by Anton Chekov; & 'Lucy' is fundamentally 3 William Wordsworth verse form abridged to music. This led to the degree of critical plaudit, however commercial profits however proved elusive. Indeed, it was just a select few minor profits within France that really enabled Hannon to proceed to his 2nd effort Promenade.

Discharged around 1994, this was heavy caused by definitive influences, using Michael Nyman's stylings particularly large. Hannon himself acknowledged this while he apparently sent the copy of his freshly album to the composer, jokingly request him does'nt to sue! Basically the conception album just about the day spent by 2 lovers, it likewise received similar critcial acclamation thereto which Liberation was afforded. Commercial profits, though, was does'nt forthcoming despite a select few of Hannon's better songwriting up to now, including "Don't Look Down", "The Summerhouse" & subsequent survive favorite "Tonight We Fly".

At in a area of a equivalent period, Hannon besides wrote & performed the theme music for the TV sitcom Father Ted, and late wrote a music for the deliberately bad mock-Eurovision song "My Lovely Horse" for 1 episode. Hannon resisted far flung requests from either fans to release a track as a lone for the Christmas market, however it was at length freed within 1999 as the third track on the Video-individual "Gin Soaked Boy". This would non exist when the sole instance it would become responsible a TV theme, as "In Pursuit Of Happiness" was too utilized per BBC science & technology indicate, ''Tomorrow's World.

A album Casanova'' (1996), & particularly a only "Something for the Weekend" led to the band's 1st major successes, by using Neil Hannon becoming a distinctive, albeit unbelievable, popstar within an immaculate lawsuit, & universally appearing the elegant dandy. At The height of their commercial profits, a band put out A Short Album All about Love, recorded survive at soundcheck sustaining a Brunel Ensemble inside preparation for a concert at the Shepherd's Bush Empire, from either which many songs were freed when b-sides. It was competently freed in Valentine's Day around 1997. Later on, the band contributed a reworking of Noel Coward's "I've Been to a Marvellous Party" to a compilation of covers of the writer's songs, by having Hannon affecting the Cowardesque swing (albeit interspersed by owning an aggressive electro musical backing).

A dandified image, but not a lawsuit, was ditched for the additional sombre album Faround De Siecle in 1998, although its biggest hit, a jaunty "National Express", belied its supplementary intimate, soul-self-analysis tone. Maintaining a balance between these poles, 1999's Secret History - the Better of The Divine Comedy involved the rerecording of Liberation track "The Pop Singer's Fear of the Pollen Count" & 2 recently songs ("Gin-Soaked Boy" & "Too Young to Die") alongside a band's independent hits. In a equivalent month, the band besides collaborated by owning Tom Jones on a cover-version of Portishead's 'Everthing Mine', featured in his album Reload.

The good side to the band was likewise inside grounds to believe within 2000's collaboration with Ute Lemper on her album Punishing Kiss, most of which featured A Divine Comedy when Lemper's backing band. Neil Hannon and Joby Talbot also contributed two original songs & an arrangement of Brecht and Weill's "Tango Ballad", whilst Neil Hannon sang ii songs when duets sustaining Lemper.

A 2001 album Regeneration attempted to remove a band however farther from either its association sustaining comedy. It was A greater critical than commercial profits, & shortly fallowing its release it was announced that The Divine Comedy were stock split. Within 2004, Hannon returned, again using A title a Divine Comedy however when a single member of the band, sustaining the album Absent Friends. Striking a balance between the at times earnest tone of the band's in a future releases & a lightly tone of the supplementary commercial releases, it encapsulated the essence of The Divine Comedy. 2004 saw 2 dates of particularly acclaimed performances, a single at a London Atomic number 46 (which was late freed as a survive DVD) & 1 at a Royal Albert Hall.

Neil Hannon as well provided vocals for songs on the soundtrack for the film of ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' released in 2005, working with Joby Talbot, the composer for the film and former Divine Comedy band member.

A line-higher of the band has at days consisted single of Neil Hannon, however has too involved:

Bryan Mills Chris Worsey Grant Gordon Ivor Talbot Joby Talbot John Allen John McCullagh Kevin Traynor Miggy Barradas Natalie Box Rob Farrer Simon Little Stuart 'Pinkie' Bates

Discography

Albums

Fanfare for the Comedian Muse (1990) Liberation (1993) Promenade (1994) Casanova (1996) The Short Album Just about Love (1997) Fin diamond state Siècle (1998) The Secret History... A Right of the Divina commedia (1999) Regeneration (2001) Absent Friends (2004)

Singles

"Something for the Weekend" (1996) "Becoming More Like Alfie" (1996) "The Frog Princess" (1996) "Everybody Knows (Except You)" (1997) "Generation Sex" (1998) "The Certainty of Chance" (1998) "National Express" (1999) "The Pop Singer's Fear of the Pollen Count" (1999) "Gin Soaked Boy" (2000) "Love What You Do" (2001) "Bad Ambassador" (2001) "Perfect Lovesong" (2001) "Come Home Billy Bird" (2004) "Absent Friends" (2004)

EPs
Timewatch (1991) Europop (1992) Bavarian EP (2005) (Downloaded via a official internet site.)

DVDs
Survive At A Atomic number 46 (2004)