Danny O’Donoghue – perhaps the ‘Man in the Arena’ of this tour’s name – is not only in the Co-Op Arena but in the crowd, singing and dancing with the fans. A disciple of the magical melee of the live music experience, O’Donoghue is a hard-working showman with a neat line in spinning around on the spot. And he has been entirely swallowed in the warm loving cuddle of the standing room floorspace of Co-Op Live, singing and chatting with the crowd. “I know so many people here,” he later quips, adding “Manchester is our second home”. Pop platitudes? Possibly. But then O’Donoghue does seem genuinely bowled over by the volume of the 17,500 strong crowd – the largest they have played to, he comments – remembering previous Manchester gigs at the Academy 1 and 2.
There are various reasons to go to gigs. In an age of artifice and AI, I am a lover of all that is live, as it were and it’s warming to see the band campaign against AI during the show. Top of my list for being with the crowd tonight is not necessarily being a fan of The Script, then, but more a fan of showmanship and musicianship and the live, lived experience. When the crowd sings as one, it is definably young, and female; neither of which I am. However, I can get into the pop and pageantry of the evening, with set pieces throughout the show that see O’Donoghue, at one point, lifted into the air to dance amongst drone lights that fly and flutter like electronic fireflies. Airborne, he moonwalks through the sky. Then seems to be doing something approximating the backstroke. He earns his crust tonight, continually dancing out onto the walkway that thrusts rather priapically into the crowd.
I am also a believer in catching the support and that was well worth it tonight with a solid set of blue-eyed soul from the raspy-voice songsmith James Morrison. Morrison’s set was a solid medley of his bigger tracks, including ‘Precious Love’ and ‘You Give Me Something’ – well received by the crowd, but of course this script was always waiting for the entry of its leading man. And even that is unique… the band walk on to the stage behind a large draped curtain, onto which is projected an astronaut. And I’m keeping an eye out for the arrival of O’Donoghue when the first notes ring out to one of their biggest tracks – ‘Hall of Fame’ – and suddenly they are off, at 120mph, O’Donoghue somehow already out front, on the walkway, belting out the inspirational words to a song that I will always remember my son wanting on in the family car.
Starting with that track is a bold move. “Not all superheroes wear capes,” quips O’Donoghue but he kind of is – draped in a coat cape that swirls as he curls and makes shapes on the dancefloor. He’s full of moves. During the Celtic-vibed ‘Paint The Down Green’ he kicks guitarist Ben Weaver up de ‘erse. At another point O’Donoghue suddenly appears halfway up the banked seating opposite us. He invites a young child – Sid – to join him and play the final note to the song ‘Never Seen Anything (Quite Like You)’. Sid – a one-note wonder kid – steals the show. I have no idea how O’Donoghue moves around the crowd, around the arena, so easily. Let’s just put it down to his pop superpowers. He seems to cover every corner of the Co-Op. From lying prone on the stage, to being inside the crowd, to being lifted above everyone on wires… from the old piano on the stage to the visuals and projections on the curtain and backdrop… this script is a page turner, no doubt. As I say, I am not particularly word-for-word on this The Script, but I can tell the well-formed songwriting in encore tracks ‘Scars Align’, ‘The Man Who Can’t Be Moved’ and ‘Breakeven’.
There’s a party atmosphere tonight. The band form a tight knot on the main stage, as I have seen U2 do on the Joshua Tree reunion tour… other Dublin friends that formed their band at high school. The vibe is more Coldplay-esque, however, with lights and indoor pyrotechnics and O’Donoghue as the quintessential showman – his voice covering an impressive range, including frequent bursts of rap. At one point I hear lines from House of Pain’s ‘Jump Around’. They have some miles behind them and choose to cover early ground by forming a medley of tracks ‘The Users Guide To Being Human’, ‘We Cry’, ‘If You Ever Come Back’, ‘Six Degree of Separation’, ‘It’s Not Right For You’, ‘Man On A Wire, ‘Good Ol’ Days’, ‘Science & Faith and ‘Millionaires’. They’re packing the action in, for sure.
Even the stage itself is formed of the pages of a script, that light up to illuminate the band. O’Donoghue conducts its audience, leads us through sing-alongs and describes how we’re making the hair on his neck stand up. “I’m genuinely speechless,” he says, before finding the words to say this has been a “fucking incredible night… we can’t wait to come back.” Maybe, after all the music and the showmanship and set pieces, the star of this show has always been the crowd.
Simon is a writer, broadcaster and countercultural investigator. Over the last 15 years he has written for everyone from The Guardian to Loaded magazine, presented television for Rapture TV and hosted radio programs for the likes of Galaxy. He has also found time to earn a Masters Degree in Novel Writing and write three books (a collection of journalism, a guidebook to Ibiza and one on financial planning for young people – the most varied publishing career it’s possible to have) and establish and run a PR company, Pad Communications, looking after a range of leisure and lifestyle clients.He currently splits his time between researching his PhD at Leeds University, looking into various countercultural movements; consulting freelance for PR clients; writing for the likes of Marie Claire in Australia, The Big Issue and the Manchester Evening News, where he reviews concerts, theatre and is their Pub & Bar Editor. He is also broadcaster, appearing regularly on Tony Livesey’s late night 5Live show for the BBC, and also for BBC Radio Manchester Gourmet Night food and drink show.Simon’s main focus has been music and travel. His career has included editing Ministry of Sound’s magazine in Ibiza for two summers and also writing two long-running columns for DJmagazine – ”Around The World in 80 Clubs” (which took him everywhere from Beijing to Brazil, Moscow to Marrakech) and “Dispatches From The Wrong Side”. A collection of the latter was published in the UK and US as the book Discombobulated, including tales as varied as gatecrashing Kylie Minogue’s birthday party, getting deported from Russia, having a gun held to his head by celebrity gangster Dave Courtney and going raving in Ibiza with Judith Chalmers. He has recently written for the likes of Red magazine, Hotline, Clash, Tilllate, Shortlist and the Manchester Evening News. Pad Communications has recently consulted for clients as varied as Manchester nightclubs and New Zealand toy companies.On a personal note, Simon is a Londoner who left the capital at the age of 18 and never looked back. He sees himself as a citizen of the global dancefloor having lived in Sydney, Los Angeles, Ibiza and Amsterdam. However his life is now rather more sedentary. After all his adventures he bumped into and subsequently married his highschool sweetheart from their North London Grammar. They now live in Stockport with their four children and four chickens, trying to live the good life. Simon recently turned 40 and is steadfastly refusing to have a midlife crisis – as in, growing a ponytail and buying a shiny red sports car.OK, maybe he’ll buy the sports car…
