The Divine Comedy have released a video for ‘Norman and Norma,’ the lead single from their new album ‘Office Politics’ which is set for release on June 7th.
Neil Hannon narrates the story of Norman and Norma, a heroically normal couple from Norfolk to a typically sophisticated and emotive 80s influenced soundscape. He says “At some point I wrote the words Norman And Norma in my notebook. I don’t know why. I suppose I just liked the sound of the words. I’ve always been interested in the Normans (the conquest people). Perhaps that had something to do with it. Then I remember getting out of bed one morning singing something like the chorus. It’s always scary when you write an opening line like – Norman and Norma got married in Cromer, April 1983 – and you realise you’re going to have tell their whole story.
Director Raphael Neal said: ‘It’s my fourth music video with The Divine Comedy. Coming up with a concept for Norman and Norma was challenging because the lyrics are already very evocative and tell the story of quite realistic characters. I didn’t want to be too literal. I came up with the idea of showing mainly the hands of the characters in order to give the viewer enough space to imagine his own story. The song having this “classic Divine Comedy” dimension, I also wanted to film Neil Hannon in a sort of “ultimate singer-songwriter” setting: just him on the piano, in black and white, as if he was coming up with the song as he was playing on the piano.’
To tie in with the release of ‘Office Politics’, The Divine Comedy play four UK and Ireland in-stores in June and a headline tour in October. Visit www.thedivinecomedy.comfor details.
June 2019
Wed 5th Kingston Upon Thames, Banquet Records at Pryzm
Sat 8th Manchester, HMV (acoustic)
Mon 10th Perth, Assai Records at Inchyra Arts Club (acoustic)
Wed 12th Dublin, Tower Records (acoustic)
October 2019
Sun 6th Dublin, Bord Gais Energy Theatre
Mon 7th Belfast, Ulster Hall
Tue 8th Cork, Opera House
Thu 10th Glasgow, Old Fruitmarket
Fri 11th Birmingham, O2 Institute
Sat 12th Oxford, O2 Academy (SOLD OUT)
Mon 14th Bristol, O2 Academy
Tue 15th Leeds, Metropolitan University (Leeds Beckett University)
Wed 16th Brighton, Dome
Thu 17th London, Eventim Apollo
Fri 18th Manchester, Albert Hall (SOLD OUT)