For me, The Script are a band full of teenage nostalgia. It took me back to 2010 when my friend and I would sit in her bedroom and listen to ‘Science & Faith’ on her CD player, both wearing beanie hats and singing ‘For the First Time.’ I decided to take my younger sister with me to see ‘The Script’ and we reminisced about listening to them in the car on the way back from our swimming lessons. The rain we got caught in on the way really helped capture that swimming nostalgia, thankfully without all the chlorine in our eyes! I was excited to see The Script “for the first time” but nothing could have prepared me for how much fun they were. I hadn’t expected such an interactive performance and it took the concert to another level.
The night opened with Becky Hill, a twenty six year old singer songwriter from Worcestershire. Hill auditioned for The Voice UK series one in 2012 and made it to the semi-finals with Jessie J as her mentor. In 2014 she became the first UK Voice contestant to grab a number one chart hit with ‘Gecko (Overdrive)’ performed with Oliver Heldens. From 2013 Hill worked on covers and provided cover vocals for Ella Eyre at numerous 2013 festivals. In 2014 she released her first original solo single ‘Losing.’ In 2016 Hill released her second single ‘Back To My Love’ which featured on her 2017 EP ‘Warm’. Her debut album ‘Get To Know’ was released in 2019. Her most recent single, ‘Better Off Without You’ featuring Shift K3Y was released in 2020. Hill is headlining a tour from March 2020, with numerous dates already sold out, so get in there quick if you want to catch her.
Hill opened with an apology for having to endure her set whilst we wait for The Script, but in no way was her performance an endurance! The audience in the standing section were all dancing along, some clearly knew her music and others were just loving her vibe. Her style was very much club music with a heavy bass, it isn’t a genre I’m a huge fan of but I was impressed by her strong vocals which filled the auditorium. I did recognise a couple of songs from my teenage clubbing days. She said we all wanted to hear her big feature songs but I actually preferred her recent releases, especially ‘Better Off Without You’ when she got the audience to put their middle fingers up to anyone that’s hurt them!
Her chat in between songs was fun, despite the nerves of realising you’re addressing a room holding 4,500 people. She said there will be tea and cake on her winter headline tour (or maybe not)! Even without free cake, she’s worth catching if it’s your sort of music. I would recommend her to anyone who is a fan of Dua Lipa, Ella Eyre, and club music more generally.
Becky Hill setlist reads: ‘False Alarm’, ‘Changing’, ‘Stranger’, ‘Gecko (Overdrive)’, ‘Lose Control’, ‘Better Off Without You’, ‘I Could Get Used To This’, ‘Wish You Well’.
The Script are an Irish rock band made up of Danny O’Donoghue (lead vocals, piano, guitar), Mark Sheehan (lead guitar, vocals), and Glen Power (drums, percussion, bass, backing vocals). Formed in 2007, the band released two successful singles ‘The Man Who Can’t Be Moved’ and ‘Breakeven’ in 2008, followed by their self-titled debut album in August 2008. Their next three albums, ‘Science & Faith’, ‘#3’, and ‘No Sound Without Silence’, all topped the UK and Ireland charts. Their most recent album, ‘Sunsets & Full Moons’ was released on 8th November 2019, which this tour is promoting. Outside of numerous chart-topping releases, The Script have been nominated for two Brit Awards, won three Meteor Ireland Music Awards, and two World Music Awards. Selling over twenty-million albums worldwide, The Script aren’t stopping any time soon.
Whilst the full staging production couldn’t fit into the auditorium, I was still blown away by the staging and lighting. The tour title is ‘Sunsets & Full Moons’ and you got both throughout the night. What was clever was changing between moons and suns based on the tone of the song, it really added to the ambience and made such a large venue feel so intimate. My favourite set had to be the opening, the background was black with tiny lights which looked like stars, and a screen which was a full moon that then turned into a screen to see the band on. It was a clever touch. Confetti at the start of a concert was a surprise and did make me jump! It was a beautiful touch, and after the concert we went to gather some as a memento. Unfortunately, it was quite sticky from spilt drinks, but I still ended up with a pocketful of it!
At half past nine the boys left the stage and said goodbye. I was very confused because it seemed a bit early for an encore and there were so many songs I wanted to hear which hadn’t been played. Next thing I know, everyone around me starts standing up and looking behind us, I still didn’t cotton on that in fact the boys were up in the West Balcony where we were sat! It was a lovely surprise to have two songs performed up there, ‘Run Through Walls’ and ‘Never Seen Anything “Quite Like You”.’ It was a beautiful stripped back performance, no elaborate staging, just stripped back raw voices. It highlighted how talented the boys are. We all stood up to catch a glimpse of them, at which point I realised I hadn’t cut the price tag out of my top, so everyone stood behind me could see my bargain £4 buy! In the moment I wasn’t even embarrassed, I was too busy being excited about how close I was to Danny O’Donoghue! With hindsight, the embarrassment is kicking in! It was great to have songs performed in the balcony. Sometimes during large concerts the balcony can be left out of performances, but not this evening. It was lovely to be included.
The Script pour their heart and soul into every performance. Before ‘If You Don’t Love Yourself’ O’Donoghue said he had read a quote he felt was important- “in a world where you can be anything, be kind” adding that one of the most important things is to be kind to yourself. It was the perfect way to open the song and really made you think about the lyrics. ‘If You Could See Me Now’ was a moving tribute to O’Donoghue’s late father and Mark Sheehan’s late parents. It was brave to perform such a personal song; I have an abundance of respect for them for sharing such a raw and personal story.
There were so many standout moments throughout the night. The power of ‘Hall Of Fame’ was brilliant, and I’m glad I wasn’t the only one to do the King Kong chest hit during the lyric “you can be the King Kong banging on your chest.” There were beautiful moments during ‘Breakeven’ when the band would sing quietly and you could hear the audience singing back those hard hitting lines, particularly “praying to a God which I don’t believe in” which was a real goose bumps moment. I also enjoyed ‘Run Through Walls.’ I’ve had it on repeat after hearing the boys perform it a couple of weeks ago on Dancing on Ice! It definitely lived up to expectations and is an all-rounder; great lyrics, music, and vocals.
Although there were plenty of standout moments, the absolute highlight of the night was ‘Nothing.’ Before the song started, O’Donoghue said he used to phone his ex during this song. Tonight, he wanted to phone someone else’s ex, picking a member of the crowd and phoning their ex. The ex in question was ‘Danique’, who picked up the phone! She stayed on the line through the whole song, which apparently hasn’t happened before. The phone was held up to a camera on the big screen, so we could all see it was true. During the performance she sent a text with a series of hearts, so you never know, perhaps O’Donoghue has played cupid and rekindled a lost love! I’ve never been so lost for words and I couldn’t stop laughing, it was so surreal it feels like a dream! Danique, if you’re reading this I hope you enjoyed the dedication, and yes, it was real!
Towards the end of the set O’Donoghue said this was the “best Brighton gig they’ve done by far,” and with the atmosphere last night I’m not surprised. You really got a sense of a ‘Script family.’ When the night ended with ‘For the First Time’ I felt very emotional. Seeing so many people holding hands, singing and dancing with the people they care about, smiling as they sung their hearts out. It brought a tear to my eye and was the perfect end to an emotional rollercoaster of a night!
The Script setlist reads: [Main Stage] ‘Something Unreal’, ‘Superheroes’, ‘Talk You Down’, ‘If You Don’t Love Yourself’, ‘Rain’, ‘Good Ol’ Days’ (incorporating ‘Jump Around’ and ‘House Of Pain’), ‘Nothing’, ‘If You Could See Me Now’, ‘No Man Is An Island’. [West Balcony] ‘Run Through Walls’, ‘Never Seen Anything “Quite Like You”’, [Main Stage], ‘Science & Faith’, ‘The Man Who Can’t Be Moved’, ‘Millionaires’, ‘Six Degrees Of Separation’, ‘Hall Of Fame’. [Encore] ‘The Last Time’, ‘Breakeven’, ‘For The First Time’.
For more information see www.thescriptmusic.com
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