REVIEW: Irish trio The Script impress at start of Thetford Forest live gigs

Irish pop rock band The Script returned to Thetford Forest last night, kicking off this weekend’s Thetford Forest gigs in style.

Green balloons were released into the crowd as the Dublin trio - consisting of Danny O’Donoghue, Mark Sheehan and Glen Power - opened their 90 minute set with Paint the Town Green, a song about missing their Emerald Isle home.

Taken from their fourth album, after which their current No Sound Without Silence tour is named, the patriotic song did well to capture the crowd’s attention.

A good balance of old and new songs then followed, with hits like Breakeven (Falling to Pieces) and We Cry featuring alongside new favourites like Superheroes, If You Could See Me Now and Man On A Wire.

The Script’s softer acoustic version of The Man Who Can’t Be Moved sounded incredible within the intimate woodland setting of High Lodge, allowing the ballad’s beautiful lyrics and the band’s faultless harmonies to shine.

Frontman O’Donoghue, a former coach on reality television show The Voice, exhibited his usual charm, moving effortlessly around the stage and even moving barriers to get closer to fans at the front.

With stunning laser effects, light trickling through the trees and superb energy, encore performances of No Good in Goodbye and the worldwide hit Hall of Fame brought the night to a memorable end.

Having performed their biggest concert to date just last weekend, at Dublin’s 80,000-capacity Croke Park stadium, it was a real pleasure to be among The Script’s smaller sell-out crowd in the forest last night, which they have vowed to return to in the near future.

Tonight will see Sam Smith take to the stage for his first performance since undergoing vocal cords surgery, followed by Paloma Faith tomorrow and Tom Odell on Sunday.

For more details, visit www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/infd-7nplsx