On paper Conor O’ Brien’s fourth Villagers album looked a makeweight – the equivalent of a greatest hits or gig recording to keep the label suits happy.
But live it made perfect sense. Where Have You Been All My Life? saw O’Brien’s five-piece touring band re-record some of his finest moments in the space of a day.
As with the album Villagers’ set-up in St George’s Church was still largely acoustic rather than a radical reimagining using electronica or huge amplification.
The differences came from the gentle keyboard drones which set the scene for most tracks, and the unusual instruments like harp or flugelhorn to add extra colour to well-loved songs.
When the familiar melodies broke through the rearranged settings it was like being reunited with an old friend after an enforced absence – something had changed in the songs but you remembered why you loved them in the first place.
Set The Tigers Free went from a song of quiet desperation in its original album version to one of joyful release live.
The Waves benefited from a massive chorus before stripping down to a whisper allowing O’Brien’s vocals to breathe on the verses, while the heartbeat-apeing drums on I Saw The Dead made it feel even more primal.
The band clearly enjoyed being allowed to stretch out – and the crowd loved it, giving a spontaneous standing ovation as the last chords of Courage rang out.
Five stars
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