Performing live has always been at the forefront of everything Irish rockers The Script do and their performance at the BIC on the South coast was no exception. The Script’s Satellites world tour was always going to be an emotional affair, as it was the first tour without the much-missed founding member Mark Sheehan who sadly passed away in April last year.

The support act for The Script Tom Walker could easily fill the Bournemouth International Centre on his own merit. The critically-acclaimed singer-songwriter was absolutely outstanding. He released his follow up album ‘I Am’, his fantastic follow up to his stunning debut ‘What A Time To Be Alive’ in September and his setlist incorporated material from both albums. 

From the titular track of his second album ‘I Am’ to the dynamic ‘Holy Ghost’, Tom’s passion for music and performance was evident and he was encouraging the audience to join him in singing along to the visceral ‘Burn’ which was a very special moment and this propulsive track really showcases the power and grit in Tom’s voice.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a Tom Walker set without ‘Leave A Light On’ which is perennially a fan favourite. He had the audience in the palm of his hand and this was a flawless and an energetic performance from the talented musician.

Ever the showman, The Script’s frontman Danny made a dramatic entrance to the opening track of their spellbinding set ‘You Won’t Feel A Thing’ by sauntering down the steps through the jubilant crowd and onward up to the stage. Whilst he is individual in his own right, you can see traces of another iconic Irish frontman – Bono throughout Danny’s stagecraft and in how he engages with the audience.

Their sophomore track of their career-spanning set was the brilliant ‘Superheroes’ which has the poignant line ‘That’s how a superhero learns to fly / Every day, every hour, turn the pain into power’. For Danny and the rest of the band, it’s been an understandably painful time and at times it looked like The Script might not continue, but continue they have and the ‘Satellites’ tour supports the band’s seventh studio album of the same name which was released earlier this year.

The band, now consisting of the two long standing members – Danny and Glen who have been joined by two new members – Ben and Benjamin (who had previously toured with the band) making The Script a now a fantastic quartet.

Whilst much of their set was from their most recent album, the sold out and euphoric crowd were treated to spectacular renditions of tracks like the effervescent ‘Rain’ from 2017’s ‘Freedom Child’ which effortlessly fuses ambient house grooves with indie-rock and ‘Millionaires’ where Danny and the boys served up an impassioned performance. This was also the same for ‘Both Ways’ and ‘The Last Time’.

You would have been hard pressed to find a dry eye in the house when the band played the highly emotive ‘If You Could See Me Now’  with the highly poignant lyrics ‘I’m tryna make you proud / Do everything you did / I hope you’re up there with God’.

It’s clear that the band are still grief-stricken, but it seems that performing and turning their pain into art is helping soothe the grief process a little bit. The band have never been strangers to showcasing their emotion and have always had confessional and heartfelt lyrics at the centre of their music, but this track hit new levels and took on new meaning once again.

The tracks from their seventh studio album ‘Satellites’ have even more emotional depth and purpose than ever, and whilst some tracks from the band’s career-spanning set stirred and moved, others such as the impossibly catchy ‘Paint The Town Green’ which saw the heavens open and thousands of pieces of green paper came raining down, made the audience want to get up and dance.

‘The Man Who Can’t Be Moved’ was a fiery and passionate performance and it felt intimate and honest and is yet another example of how this (now) quartet can take their moments whether it’s propulsive stadium rock or beautiful moments of soaring intimacy.

On a night of fantastic live music, the band concluded their blistering set with a sensational encore which included the ever-dynamic ‘Hall of Fame’ that had everyone singing along with the ear-worm chorus.

This was a commanding and assured performance of heart-warming ballads and rousing anthems that dazzled from start to finish.