It’s been four years since The Script last visited our shores and the time apart has done nothing to diminish Perth fans’ affection for the Irish band that has sold over 20 million albums worldwide. For the last stop on their Aussie tour, The Script wowed the audience with a show that was big on heart.
Support artist Conrad Sewell proved to be a winner. The Brisbane-born singer has made his own waves in music having teamed up with Kygo, Avicii and Armin Van Buuren achieving chart success. His soulful vocals and upbeat performance through songs like Remind Me and Love Me Anyway charmed fans at the front of the stage. With the musicality of Sam Smith, his heartfelt delivery of Start Again had phones lit up, but it was a cover of Tina Turner’s Simply The Best that had the biggest payoff, setting the vibe up nicely for the Dubliners.
Presenting a greatest hits tour is always going to be a crowd favourite, yet it was surprising to see how invested fans of The Script were from the piano intro of opener Superheroes. With singer Danny O’Donoghue, dressed all in black including a thick coat as if he’d just escaped a Dublin winter, immediately leading a hand wave of thousands, you could tell this night was off to a strong start.
The Script’s songs almost feel like they’ve crystallised in time. Their folk-rock sound was the du jour of pop-rock in the 2010s yet instead of sounding dated, heard live, songs like the dancehall Rain and We Cry still sound fresh with their classic pop structures and aspirational themes that compel the crowd to sing along like comrades in arms.
Despite having an admittedly killer “Aussie” hangover, O’Donaghue did the heavy lifting at the front bantering with the audience as other members Mark Sheehan (guitar) and Glen Power (drums) provided the foundation.
Tales from The Script were also dutifully delivered with O’Donaghue detailing how he and Power came up with their first song Before The Worst in LA. Gratitude was also expressed for the serene The Man Who Can’t Be Moved from their 2008 self-titled album which “put rooves over our head and clothes on our back.” These songs were reminiscent of David Gray and showed creatively how far they’ve come with their most recent release I Want It All.
Getting right into the thick of it the group made their way up to the stands to perform acoustic songs If You Could See Me Now and Nothing which had O’Donaghue singing down the line to someone’s lucky or perhaps unfortunate ex-partner.
From there the energy levels were dialled up with the thoroughly Irish Paint The Town Green and the stomping dance track Something Unreal. This was not a sold-out gig but it worked to the crowd’s advantage giving them the freedom to dance, jig and bask in the joy of singing loudly with their mates. At several points, a charmed O’Donaghue seemed chuffed, looking out over the crowd and commenting a few times about how great the energy felt.
Finishing off with a three-song encore, there’s no doubt that The Script have a tight bond with their fans. Saving their biggest hits till the end, Breakeven and Hall Of Fame had thousands of voices bellowing around the Arena like a soccer match.
By the last reverberating chord streamers rained down on fans as they applauded, with some holding Irish flags high in the air. O’Donaghue had mentioned that you’re only as good as your audience. Together The Script and their fans created a unified world where you could be the greatest, where you could be a champion.
MELANIE GRIFFITHS
Photos by Caris Bingemann
