After almost two years of pandemic delays, Neil Hannon finally kicked off his five-night residency at the Barbican with an evening of witty ditties, suave ironies and self-effacing jokes. Subtitled Venus, Cupid, Folly and Time, this career-spanning run of shows is set to feature 10 full albums in chronological order, meaning the Divine Comedy frontman and his expanded 11-piece chamber-pop band have had to learn around 140 tracks.
“I must warn you there’s not going to be a lot of showmanship or pyrotechnics,” quipped the Northern Irish singer, still looking absurdly boyish at 51, despite his self-consciously fogeyish image as a cravat-wearing crooner from a bygone age. He may have enjoyed his biggest hits during the Britpop era, but Hannon was always more Noel Coward than Noel Gallagher.
