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On a wet, dark Tuesday night at the Vicar Street venue in Dublin, two of Northern Ireland's finest musicians, Neil Hannon of Divine Comedy fame and Peter Wilson as Duke Special, duelled in musical battle, and literally, with an assortment of sharp implements, including minds and sometimes, tongues. 听

This was a special gig for Amnesty, as part of their Small Places Tour and was billed as a battle of the pianos between the Old Master and the Young Pretender. Prior to the gig, a back story of theatrical proportions had developed and a challenge thrown down and accepted between the bohemian long-haired exponent of guy-liner and the sartorially elegant dandy who were both destined to be feted in bygone centuries where musical talent and artistic merit were highly lauded. To set the scene, Neil Hannon, whilst publicising the event said, "(The gig is) more of a minor indie celebrity death-match. The contest will end only when one of us is impaled on the other's genius".

The evening started with a swift laying down of the challenge with a foppish flick of the hankie in the respective opponent's face, to take their place behind one of the two grand pianos filling the stage, let battle commence. The lines drawn, the gig got under way with both singing the Duke Special song, 'I don't Love You', echoing key lines before Neil made the first hit of the evening, introducing the song, 'Bath', with "this is in honour of your hair" to Duke Special before the opening lines, "rub-a-dub-dub, it's time for a scrub!". The two then launched into a track Hannon penned for the Duke, 'Wanda the Darling of the Jockey Club'. Then, Neil was shooed off the stage so that Peter could perform the first solo spot of the evening with the opening gambit of, 'I Never Thought This Day Would Come (and now it won't go away)'. Hannon then re-entered the stage for both to play a cover of 'What Becomes of the Broken-Hearted', which proved a beautiful and fitting choice for an evening that hoped to make the audience think of the plight of those undergoing Human Rights abuses around the world. Neil Hannon then took the spot-light alone to dust off one of his very first songs, 'Festive Road', about Mr Benn. 听Next he played 'Perfect Lovesong', making the audience pause and appreciate the beauty of the music.

Duke Special re-joined the fray to share his song, 'Last Night I Nearly Died' before another Divine Comedy oldie but goodie, 'When the Lights Go Out All Over Europe'. Without further ado, they all fittingly launched into, 'You're So Vain', one of the greatest moments of the night. Peter then took up the challenge to put his own distinctive stamp on 'Mastermind' by changing the rhythm and timing slightly to give it a quirkier feel.

The duelling recommenced over what is personally my favourite Divine Comedy track, 'Our Mutual Friend', with both giving their utmost on piano to make it sound even more outstanding. The lighter side of the evening had to then continue, complete with masks made by respective offspring, "Junior Specials" as they were referred to had fittingly made a rather artistic one whilst "Junior Comedy" as her father pointed out was going through an orange phase with a rather simple but fetching orange cat mask. Obviously, everyone was involved in the making of this production, even kids, to make this a most memorable evening and the masks were donned for the audience-participating, 'Everybody Wants to be a Cat'. Whilst the audience were in good singing voice, Duke was left on his own to bring the audience to his side with the old drinking song, the 'Old Bull and Bush' before what was for all THE highlight of the evening, an actual duel complete with many different sizes of cutting implements, including plastic knives and a Roman Centurion costume on the part of the Duke complete with out-hanging legs. It was only afterwards that he realised he would have to sit and play a rather serious song, 'Drink To Me Only With Thine Eyes' that he realised the folly of the costume. This was then followed by the even more serious and bombastic offering from Mr Hannon, 'The Plough', minus the Ian Paisley-inspired rant and then Duke singing the weighty subject of 'Digging an Early Grave'. 听

Levity had to be restored and was with the all-round crowd pleaser 'National Express' but just as everyone was just about to shout out their favourite line, Peter pre-empted it and made a mistake, "ruining the punchline". This ended the evening proper with the audience jumping to their feet and demanding more and duly received more complete with the two coming out dressed as Jedi Knights and had a light-sabre battle. Later they admitted that the Star Wars moment worked better as an idea but difficult to end but did with Neil claiming to be Peter's Father, now there's an odd thought.

The encore took the shape of support artist, Dave Couse, shouting out the lyrics to 'Endless Art' by the band A House, accompanied by the pianos and Pugwash on guitar. Finally, or as it turned out, prematurely finally, both dueted on the Duke Special with contribution from Divine Comedy hit, 'Our Love Goes Deeper Than This' with the audience helping Neil out with his echoes. Again the artists left the stage to a standing ovation but the audience still hadn't had enough, this gig could have gone on all night. 听Again the audience were obliged and both came out once more and played an impromptu, with Neil shouting out the chords and telling Peter that he had better leave the middle eight to him because there were chords he hadn't even heard of, of 'Songs of Love', which Peter will now have heard of, as the theme tune to Father Ted which Neil took from one of his earlier albums.

This gig was a stroke of genius all round. These two characters are a perfect foil for each other, one with a taste for the theatrics with an appropriately-dressed 'second', costume changes, artistic offspring with a flair for the theatrical too, against the coiffed and elegantly-dressed dandy whose songs include anything from Mr Benn, to casual infidelity amongst friends to bus companies. As to what was the outcome or the conclusion, in the cheesiest of ways, the audience was the winner who got a spectacle including impromptu arm-wrestling, sword and light-sabre fights and also the great banter between two of Northern Ireland's greatest musicians who have become firm friends. This is a musical relationship which can only flourish and will light up the Arts/Music world for many years to come. I would love to see this become a tour or even an annual event and I do hope they will both be given the support and adulation they both so richly deserve with two such massive talents.

Ruth McKittrick