The Script / Clare Maguire

The night started off badly, first a trip to three, yes three petrol stations as two of them had run out of diesel! Then an accident on the M6/M42 slip road caused chaos and a tail back of rubber neckers. Then to cap it all off, there was a massive queue at the LG Arena just to get a parking space!

Passes in hand, camera bag in a secure place and we were in at last. The support act was already on as we hurriedly tried to find our seats; they were at the furthest end of the arena – Block 16. We had the longest walk ever, the bass line was thumping and I recognised some of the lyrics and the distinctive voice. I thought "I'm sure I know who that is". Yes, it was local Brummie lass, Clare Maguire.

Clare's single 'Last Dance' was thumping through the airwaves but I only caught the last minute of it, which was a bit gutting. Once we took our seats Clare's set didn't last very long. She was showcasing new album 'Light After Dark'. New single 'The Shield and the Sword' was quite memorable. Her voice is an acquired taste and you can see why she was in the Sound of 2011 listings.

The first thing you noticed when the lights went up at the interval was the sea of green. The arena was adorned with hats, flags, posters, deely boppers and generally anything with the four-leaf clover on it. It was St Patrick's Day and there was definitely big Irish contingent packing the arena to the rafters to see The Script.



Everyone was here for an Irish knees up, and The Script didn't disappoint. At 9pm the band came on stage through the dry ice and in front of fabulous big screens. The audience was made up of mostly girls/women and the arena went into total hysteria. As soon as Danny O'Donoghue (lead singer) was visible the whole crowd went completely mental - foot stamping, screaming, faux fainting etc. It was the most noise I've ever heard, and this continued throughout the night.

It's hard to believe that The Script are a relatively new band and have risen like a phoenix out of the ashes and taken the music world by storm. Since 2007 they have amassed two smash hit albums and 7 hit singles. They've literally risen through the ranks and now they're here playing the arena tour to a packed full house. In fact Mark (Sheenan) admitted that this was the biggest arena crowd they've played to so far on the tour.

'You Won't Feel A Thing' was totally amazing and it kicked the show off, the starting bars of the guitar were kick-ass. Hit after hit blasted out of the speakers including 'We Cry', 'Breakeven', 'For The First Time' and 'Talk You Down'.



One of the highlights of the night was when Danny broke in to a singalong with 'Man Who Cant Be Moved'. It was mind-blowing stuff as 12,000 people hung on every word, singing with passion and vitality. I loved it. The crowd went absolutely ballistic after this for what felt like hours. Danny sat on the edge of the stage in absolute awe. After the noise died down he said this were the moments he would cherish and tell his kids about.

Throughout the show Danny and Mark jumped into the pit to greet audience members; this was fabulous, especially for all the die hard's that had queued outside for hours just to get on the front row. Gorgeously handsome Danny sang to various girls and held their hands; I love stuff like this as it makes a gig memorable and it really reaches out to people in the audience. You could see that both the frontmen loved it as well as everyone watching their performance.

'Nothing', 'Dead Man Walking' and 'Rusty Halo' were exceptional and had me rocking in my seat.

Songs were showcased from both albums. I loved the rockier ones, but the audience loved any ballad and really anything that Danny did or said. My partner and I thought it was funny because cause every time he moved the audience screamed. He lapped it up like a little puppy dog though.

This show was amazing. The guys were at the top of their game and no-one left the arena unhappy. Definitely worth a punt if you wanna see a kick ass live show.

You can't help but like The Script. They seem like genuinely lovely lads. Their music is easy listening and it helps get through a day. I must admit to playing tracks whilst I'm roaming the UK driving.

Special thanks goes to Louisa at The Script's PR Company, thanks ever so much for your efforts as we would never have got to this show otherwise.



You can catch the guys on the road on the following dates:

18/3 Manchester Arena
19/3 Newcastle Metro Arena
21/3 Glasgow SECC
22/3 Aberdeen Exhibition Centre
24/3 Bournemouth BIC
25/3 Wembley Arena
26/3 O2 Arena, London
28/3 Plymouth Pavillions
29/3 Cardiff CIA
12/6 Isle of Wight Festival.

To buy tickets, click here.

FUTURE GIGS