The Script, live at the Aviva

The Script must have nearly reached the end of their ‘To do’ list. Two No. 1 albums in Ireland and the UK (the second reaching No. 3 in the US Billboard chart), an Irish tour which sold out in less than 40 minutes, and now – following a tour of South Africa – a homecoming show in the Mac Daddy of Irish venues, the Aviva Stadium. Whether or not you consider ‘pop’ a dirty word (I don’t), the figures speak for themselves – this Dublin trio are huge with a capital H.
Musical foreplay tonight is provided by fellow Dubs The Coronas and London rapper Tinie Tempah. By the time both acts have done their thang, the heaving crowd is more than ready for the main course. The boys burst on stage with ‘You Won’t Feel A Thing’, from sophomore offering Science & Faith, and proceed with a set covering all the hits from that and their five-times-platinum self-titled 2008 debut. ‘Talk You Down’, ‘We Cry’, ‘If You Ever Come Back’ and ‘Before The Worst’ all go down a treat with the near-capacity crowd. But it’s faves like new album Science & Faith’s title-track that truly send fans into a frenzy, with the audience screaming back every word at a clearly-in-awe Danny O’Donoghue. Say what you will about The Script, they know how to write a mean hook and a damn catchy tune.
It’s not without its cheesy moments, mind. At one point, Danny reminisces about the band’s formation in nearby James’ Street. Cue a recreation of the shed they once jammed in – complete with battered couches – for a stripped-down performance of über-ballad ‘I’m Yours’. 
Obligatory schmaltz over, they’re back on form with newbie ‘Nothing’, before support act Tinie Tempah bounds on stage for a joint performance of his hit ‘Written In The Stars’. When the boys finally finish up, these fans ain’t going nowhere. Encore track ‘For The First Time’ has even the fancy seated ticket-holders on their feet. Getting somewhat carried away on a sea of patriotism, Danny then dons a tricolour and races through the crowd, finishing the night off with the massive ‘Breakeven’.
In these dark days where charts are consistently crammed with X-Factor finalists belting out cover versions and manufactured bands looking mean ‘n’ moody, The Script brandish an air of authenticity. In short, here be quality pop!