Villagers wow the big city for first Old Vic Tunnels gig

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Part Arcade Fire, part Electric Light Orchestra with a hint of World Party, Villagers are essentially Dublin’s Conor J. O’Brien, who played solo — most fascinatingly In A New Found Land You Are Free which he claimed to have written on Tuesday — and with various permutations of his four-man band.

For all his disarming charm in attempting To Be Counted Among Men twice and waving as if from ship to shore, O’Brien is a craftsman whose songs are equally affecting and effective in intimate or big settings.

Brimming with melody-laden twists and turns, the drum-led Home, the distinctly Byrdsian The Meaning Of The Ritual and Becoming A Jackal were magnificent, but although O’Brien was apparently jetlagged and ran out of steam towards the end, it all ended in cheers with a brooding On A Sunlit Stage where he had the aura of a genuine contender.

It’s early days but his album has already topped the Irish charts: I wouldn’t bet against him.

Villagers play the Old Vic Tunnels tonight (sold out).

Villagers
The Old Vic Tunnels
Station Approach Road, SE1 7XB