The Script at the Royal Albert Hall

A year after their triumphant double-date at the O2 Arena, The Script are back in London to support Teenage Cancer Trust. A sold-out Royal Albert Hall see an ecstatic opening performance from fellow countrymen Wild Youth before Danny O’Donoghue’s band take the stage.

The unmistakable keyboard riff of Before the Worst kick-starts the show; the frontman’s hip-hop delivery of the verse sets the arena on fire before the chorus invites everyone to sing along. Superheroes and We Cry follow and it’s clear this is going to be an evening of greatest hits. The Man Who Can’t Be Moved follows suit and it feels like we all are back in 2008, when the British pop-rock industry’s heart was still beating strong. No Man Is an Island quickly blows that fire out.

The Script are an admirable live act. Emotionally, they empathise with their audience, coming together with the crowd. The level of melancholy feel-goodness is almost overwhelming in songs like Nothing and If You Ever Come Back – the latter played in an acoustic, stripped down version.

The set ends with Hall of Fame before the Irish three-piece return for a brief encore. Two of the band’s most classic pieces are saved for last. With their 2008 self-titled debut album The Script managed to hit a unique balance between the smoothness of the singing, the simplicity yet effectiveness of the production and the relatability of the lyrics; and this is wonderfully represented by Breakeven, the first of the final songs played tonight. For the First Time shoulders the responsibility – and successfully so – of bringing the concert to an end. And just like the track says, “even after all these years” of live shows and radio plays, “we just now got the feeling that we’re meeting for the first time”.

Filippo L’Astorina, the editor
Photo: Guifre de Peray

For further information and future events visit The Script’s website here.

Watch the official sign video for The End Where I Begin here: