Villagers: Sing out loud and proud

With an Irish tour coinciding with the referendum on Friday, this is a massive week for Villagers’ Conor O’Brien, writes Eoghan O’Sullivan

CONOR O’BRIEN is done with repressing his feelings. Last week, the Villagers frontman tweeted: “I’ll finally experience the feeling of being regarded as an equal citizen in my own country, if the Irish people vote ‘YES’ on May 22.”

He was referring to Friday’s marriage-equality referendum. Previously coy about expressing his sexuality in his music, O’Brien has embraced it on Villagers’ third album, the delicate and intimate Darling Arithmetic.