REVIEW: VILLAGERS AT EXETER PHOENIX (02/12/10)
There’s definitely something about Conor J O’Brien’s voice. Something about the way he effortlessly manages to silence a roomful of people when he starts to sing. Not that the Villagers frontman has an especially powerful set of pipes, but it can’t be denied that as soon as he opens his mouth, an odd sensation seems to come over any crowded venue playing host to his appearance. This certainly seems to be the case on this cold winter evening in Exeter.
Apart from the recent Mercury nomination, Villagers are far from the household name that many would argue they should be. Despite losing out to the xx at the September awards ceremony – Villagers were, unfortunately, among the outsiders for the prestigious prize from the start – the Dublin-based group have proved to be quite a hit in their home country, having reached Number One in both the national Albums Chart and the Indie Albums Chart with their debut offering ‘Becoming a Jackal’. However, it is undeniably their frontman who is not only the face of the band, but also the greater part of their personality and arguably the catalyst of their newly-found fame, both at home and abroad.
Upon first glance, O’Brien may appear to be somewhat of a small and weedy-looking gentleman as he takes to the stage. You almost expect him to nervously stumble and mutter his way through the set as hundreds of eyes eagerly stare up at him from the darkness. However, this could not be further from the truth. Anyone that has listened to ‘Becoming a Jackal’ since its release in May will be able to confirm that O’Brien’s lyrics are brimming with a kind of worldly wisdom that you might expect from a much more established Irish folk hero. But it isn’t just his music that defines the character behind Villagers – his stage presence speaks volumes too.
Taking to the stage with a modest and grateful bow, Conor J O’Brien opens Villagers’ set alone with the endearingly mellow track ‘Cecilia and Her Selfhood’. The room, considerably fuller by this point, immediately comes over all quiet as the vocalist begins the silent intro to the first track. Unlike most singers in soft indie bands of this nature, O’Brien brings a great deal of humour, wit and Irish charm to his stage shows. Frequently giving the audience cause for amusement in the form of various cheerful remarks. Among these are his apology for having a bit of a hoarse voice on this occasion, which is soon followed by a sarcastically flattered “You guys!” when the crowd denies having noticed. A later example is when he jokingly tells one loud person to “shut up” before a song, which receives a huge cheer from everyone else.
After playing a number of tracks from ‘Becoming a Jackal’, as well as some lesser-known songs, Villagers finally reach the album’s lead single and title track, which deservedly achieves the biggest applause of the evening. At the end of a big starting year for Villagers, it is fair to say that they are in a reasonably respectable position for a new band. With a number of newer songs making an appearance in tonight’s performance, it is more than likely that we will be hearing more from them in the near future. Considering the response from the crowd in Exeter, this will probably be a welcome gesture.
Words: Rob Sleigh
Photo: By The Queen’s Hall via Flickr
