Atmospheric concert in store from Villagers at the Black Box

Villagers, a band that never disappoint in concert, come to the Black Box on Friday, January 29.

The band are led by Conor O’Brien, who has emerged as one of Ireland’s most intriguing songwriters since Villagers released their first album in 2010. They have appeared on Jools Holland and also opened for Elbow on full UK arena tour. Villagers will soon release their fourth album Where Have You Been All My Life? which was recorded in one day at London’s RAK Studio with Richard Woodcraft (Radiohead, The Last Shadow Puppets) and Villagers live engineer Ber Quinn. The album is a re-imagining of older songs which have been woven with material from Villagers’ most recent studio album, Darling Arithmetic.

O’Brien worked on these re-arrangements with Cormac Curran (grand piano and analogue synthesiser) Danny Snow on double bass, Mali Llywelyn, on harp, mellotron and vocals, and Gwion Llewelyn on drums, flugelhorn and vocals. The result is a lush, harmony-laden and vibrant document. The album includes a new recording of Memoir, which O’Brien wrote for Charlotte Gainsbourg. This can be found on her 2011 album Stage Whisper, but has never been recorded by Villagers until now.

Villagers are an ever evolving band, shaping their sound on each tour. They’re masters at creating atmosphere, but at the heart of it all lies O’Brien’s superb songwriting. Essential stuff. Tickets €25/€22.50.