By Neil Durham

WORTH A LOOK?: ****

WHEN?: Thursday 5 March 2026, tour runs through 22 August 2026

SETLIST: Achilles; The Last Time I Saw The Old Man; Rainy Sunday Afternoon; Norman and Norma; Your Daddy’s Car; Bang Goes The Knighthood; I Want You; A Lady Of A Certain Age; Songs Of Love; At The Indie Disco; Neapolitan Girl; Mar-a-Lago By The Sea; Bad Ambassador; I Like; The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter; Absent Friends; Becoming More Like Alfie; Generation Sex; National Express; Our Mutual Friend; Invisible Thread; Tonight We Fly

Rainy Sunday Afternoon is the title of the latest album by The Divine Comedy and it’s a thundery Thursday evening in Barcelona.

• Read on for reasons including how this was a a very European expression of musical joy

‘Are you trying to make us feel at home?’ asks frontman Neil Hannon three-quarters of the way through the set. ‘I thought it rained in Ireland.’

We’ve walked the 15 minutes from our flat in Raval towards the seafront and the big room of this gorgeous old theatre where we last saw Stereolab in 2022.

We last saw The Divine Comedy live last year at the Barbican Centre in London shortly after the release of that album and this set is very similar.

There’s no support act tonight, this gig hasn’t sold out and as we take our places near the front of the stage about a quarter of an hour before curtain up we worry at how quiet it is.

But shortly before the 8.30pm start time the good people of this city have deposited their overcoats and umbrellas in the venue cloakroom and salon uno feels as crowded as we’ve known it.

After Bang Goes The Knighthood Hannon observes wryly: ‘A song about shame in high office. You don’t get much of that anymore.’

The crowd particularly enjoys early song Neapolitan Girl and we marvel at the in-time handclaps many of the audience are deploying to what is a very European expression of musical joy.

Hannon is seemingly having a good time because during 1st encore Our Mutual Friend he is off the front of the stage and dancing and singing in the excitable crowd although by this time we are viewing proceedings from near the bar which runs almost the length of the room to 1 of its sides.

Our companion remarks at how much of this material wouldn’t be out of place in musical theatre and there’s a real element of both storytelling and lyrical dexterity to the best of The Divine Comedy’s songs which have recently seen the band soundtrack film Wonka.

All too soon the gig is over and we venture back out onto the wet Barcelona streets with songs in our hearts and the final sentiment that tonight we fly propelling our heels as we wonder whether we just might do that in our hurry to find shelter at home.

• Main picture by Elena di Vincenzo from earlier in the tour via Facebook courtesy The Divine Comedy Tickets
• Have you seen a Divine Comedy show before and what did you think of this 1? Let us know what you thought in the comments below
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