Villagers on Jools Holland

It's been a good few weeks for Conor O Brien I would think - it seems that wowing the crowds at SXSW (on more than one blog I have read about Villagers being the number one highlight, ahead of the likes of Toro Y Moi, Tanlines, Surfer Blood, Dum Dum Girls, etc...) was just the beginning!

Friday night, I turned on my tv for the return of Jools Holland and much to my delight the show included a memorable appearance from Hot Chip, the gorgeous Marina & The Diamonds and (the true highlight) two stunning songs from Villagers. Conor played Becoming A Jackal and The Meaning of the Ritual and stunned the audience and artists alike with the haunting intimacy of his performance. Marina (of the Diamonds...) remarked that Villagers were the act she was most impressed by (ahead of Paul Weller, Gogol Bordello and Hot Chip...) on the night.

Check out the two tracks here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4Jr1WbBmQU

And finally, anyone who reads the Sunday Times on a regular basis will know that the Culture Section of the paper tips a new artist every week to check out (previous acts who have been noted here include Arctic Monkeys) and this week it was none other than Villagers. A glowing review followed...

The debut album from Villagers, Becoming A Jackal, is out on May 14th on Domino.