I've Been to a Marvellous Party

About five years ago, when YouTube started being YouTube, I went on there for the first time. I decided that I'd look for concert footage of Prefab Sprout, because I'd never seen them live. So I typed in the required words, and...there they were!

I couldn't believe it. I visually could not believe it: I was seeing them in concert, crisply and vividly, seeing something I never thought I'd see in my life.

And I cried.

Many years ago now, I went to see Aztec Camera with my then-husband (maaaany years ago). We sat up in the balcony; we were so far away from the stage that when Roddy Frame came on the only part of his face I could see were his eyebrows, because they were darker than everything else. But still - I had only liked Aztec Camera while I lived in the U.S., and no one in the U.S. knew who Aztec Camera were: they certainly were never going to tour there. I'd thought I'd go my whole life without ever seeing Roddy Frame live. And I cried.

Tonight I went into London to see the Divine Comedy. As you know, I've seen the Divine Comedy twice, both times from very close up. But this stage was on the same level as the spectators, whereas the last two were raised. I've thought to be many things in my life, but I never thought to be a self-and-a-half's distance from Neil Hannon, close enough to see the colour of his eyes and the way his cheekbones poke out under his skin. And (ah, but you know where this is going...) I cried.

Aside from that, he was wonderful, and it was wonderful. Wonderful.

But what did he look like? you'll want to know. Well, he was tiny. Tiny. I couldn't believe it! And his hands were tiny, too. And he had what O.M. would call blond hair, but I would call light brown. And he wore a suit with cloth-covered buttons, which to me denotes a certain attention to detail in the making - or at least makes it an unusual suit. And, strangely, brown shoes, although the suit was black. Hm.