The lucky 500 who had tickets stood waiting in expectation.

The first two Villagers albums were both Mercury nominated. This was to be the third gig of a long tour.

With the lowest key entrance a front man can make, Conor O'Brien, the man who wrote, produced and played all the instruments on the third and latest album, Darling Arithmetic, took his place centre stage. He quietly counted the band in.

There then followed a completely mesmeric 90 minute set. A lady played the harp, there was a stand up bass, keyboards and some sparse drums.

They provided a precise acoustic accompaniment, while O'Brien held the audience with a relentless outpouring of intimate and emotionally vulnerable songs.

The new Darling Arithmetic songs had an immediate impact, with every heartfelt lyric clear in the mix. "I love this song", said O'Brien introducing Hot Scary Summer. Otherwise he said little.

From the table lamp on stage to the solo Ship of Promises to finish the set, this was all things not rock 'n roll. It was delicate, sensitive, and ideally deserved the focus of a seated audience.

O'Brien left as he had entered - without a fuss. The lucky 500 now knew just how lucky they had been.