The Divine Comedy

Towards the tail end of the 1980s, Neil Hannon: a talented singer/songwriter from Northern Ireland, formed his first line-up of The Divine Comedy. In 1989, he signed a deal with independent label, Setanta Records, which led to the band becoming the label’s most successful chart act of the 1990s.
In this book, Alan Draper examines the thirteen original studio albums released under The Divine Comedy banner between 1990 and 2022. This overview includes some interesting additional recordings including single releases and also takes in the pair of albums recorded by offshoot project: The Duckworth Lewis Method, on which Hannon combined forces with fellow Irishman Thomas Walsh.
The sweeping eclecticism on display throughout the recording career of The Divine Comedy is simply breathtaking: from indie roots on the 1990 debut album Fanfare For The Comic Muse; through the groundbreaking hybrid chamber-pop of Liberation and Promenade; to hit singles during the 1990s Britpop era and ambitious orchestral arrangements on later masterworks such as Fin De Siecle and Absent Friends. Through all these changes, Neil Hannon’s restless spirit has remained a constant factor at the heart of The Divine Comedy, resulting in the extraordinary and ongoing canon of music explored in this book.

Alan Draper is a writer and musician living in Fareham, Hampshire, UK, with his wife Radiance. Starting his musical career as guitarist with The Alsatians in 1978, he wrote both sides of their 1980 single: ‘Teen Romance’/’Our Man In Marrakesh’. His song ‘Complications’ featured on the album Rocking With The Renees by The Gymslips, a top twenty hit on the independent chart in 1983. His first solo album Earth Magic appeared in 1989, followed by Ascension Day in 1999, both displaying folk, classical and progressive rock influences. His first book Stackridge On Track, was published by Sonicbond in 2022.