Villagers @The Park on July 23rd 2011
Review: Kevin Donnellan
Photos: Alessio Michelini
“This feels like the end of something,” says Conor O’Brien just before the end of Saturday’s 90 minute set in Marley Park. He’s referring to the last 18 months; the word of mouth, that performance on Jools Holland, the release of Becoming A Jackal, the critical acclaim, the commercial success, the steadily growing crowds. With his thoughts now turning to work on a follow-up album this does feel like an appropriate way to close a pretty griping opening chapter in the Villagers story.
Marley Park was drenched in sun. The Dublin Mountains provided a nice backdrop and the perimeter stalls were pretty much a Electric Picnic food preview. But until Conor J. O’Brien and band stepped onstage much of the crowd seemed content to let the support bands provide background music as they soaked up the sun outside the tent.
Admittedly main support Beach House provided a superior quality background music but it was still melted into the scenery a little; no stand out moments, nothing to make you grateful to have seen them live. Even standout song Zebra failed to achieve much more than a prick of the ears from most of the lounging crowd. Could be worth seeing in a more intimate venue in the future (their Vicar Street show last November attracted good notices) but they’re unlikely to have converted many non-believers on Saturday.
Then, just after 9pm, Villagers appear. We quickly file out of the lingering heat. The tent is nowhere close to capacity but it’s still a decent crowd. The opening includes Set The Tigers Free, Memoir and The Pact (I’ll Be Your Fever), it’s a strong start. There’s enough bite to the live performance for the songs to hold their own in what
is (for a Villagers headliner at least) something of a cavernous environment. The echoing vocals on ‘Memoir’ are particularly good.
But then, slowly, the air escapes from the balloon. Delicate songs like Beatitudes are made for a small venue where you can hear a pin drop. Here they seem to float to the top of the tent, missing the crowd on the way. Perhaps a proper outdoor venue with a suitably beautiful backdrop – a lake, say – would work, but here, in a tent, the beauty is lost and something approaching boredom sets in.
The rest of the set follows that pattern, when the band leave for a few numbers the problem becomes more pronounced. This is a exceptionally gifted performer, capable holding an audience. But in a setting like this, even in front of an adoring crowd, it proves a bridge too far.
For diehard Villagers fans the lulls and lack of connection may not have been noticeable, this was a valedictory moment for a great musician. But it surely couldn’t have grabbed anyone by the scruff of the neck. So the end of a chapter, but not quite a fairytale ending. There will be more to come, hopefully in venues better suited to Conor O’Brien’s sound.