The Script – Live Review – The Piece Hall, Halifax
By Steve Crabtree, July 2025
We’ve been quite lucky so far this summer, haven’t we? We’ve had sunshine (good sunshine, for days…not just token amounts) and we’ve enjoyed/battled heatwaves too. And when it comes to open air gigs, that’s the weather you long for.
However, cue the other extreme. And even by Yorkshire standards, this was next level. The heavens opened for The Script’s sold-out show at The Piece Hall, and once it started, it didn’t stop. We’re talking biblical! I was at this one with my wife Alex, a fan of the Irish pop-rockers, and we were both among the soaked masses crammed into the historic courtyard. Waterproofs, ponchos…they didn’t really matter. Everyone was drenched.
But sometimes, at a gig, the elements add something. And, to be honest, as long as we didn’t get home to a flooded road, we didn’t mind the downpour tonight.
“The irony wasn’t lost”
After a nice opening set from Tom Walker, The Script came on to a fantastic reception, and opened with strong-starter ‘Superheroes’. But the real moment of humour came straight after, when they launched into ‘Rain’.
The irony wasn’t lost on anyone. The band, covered by the roof on the stage, probably smirked. The audience laughed. It had became part of the night’s identity, so we just made sure we enjoyed the show.
The Script know how to create emotional moments, and did exactly that with ‘Never Seen Anything Quite Like You’, one of their softer ballads. Danny had brought a fan up on stage for this one, and as the song ended, her boyfriend also appreared behind her. As he dropped to one knee, we had a live proposal on stage. Judging by the cheers, she said yes. A lovely moment that we all enjoyed.
“Drenched arms waving”
Going into the gig, I had The Script mentally filed under ‘pop with a slight rock lean’. And pop-rock isn’t that high up on my list of favourite music. But tonight, as a live unit, they flipped that a bit. The guitars were loud. The drums were hard, and it felt like there was a bit more grit to what I was expecting.
‘For the First Time’ got one of the biggest reactions of the night, with drenched arms waving skyward, and ‘The Man Who Can’t Be Moved’ was met with the kind of singalong that made the rain irrelevant. These were the tracks that everyone knew, and it didn’t matter how soaked people were, they were singing every word.
The crowd was a huge mix too. After all, they’ve been around nearly a quarter of a century now – so their appeal is to a wide range of ages.
“Iconic”
The latter part of the show built well. The lighting kicked in stronger as the skies darkened even more, especially when ‘Paint The Town Green’ was given to us. And, for the encore, you could feel the atmosphere had lifted another gear. There was a stunning version of ‘Breakeven’ – probably the best vocal performance of the evening – and then came the closer.
‘Hall of Fame’ is an iconic one, and it absolutely belongs at the end of a The Script set. Anthemic, emotional, and optimistic . The visuals, the floodlights, the rain still hammering down – it all worked. It made sure every fan of The Script inside The Piece Hall went away happy.
“Tight, rocky and engaging”
I went to this gig thinking I might enjoy it, and I enjoyed it more than I’d anticipated. The Script were tight, rocky and engaging. And even though the rain tried its hardest to ruin the night, it didn’t come close.
By the end, we looked like we’d been power-washed – along with 5,000 others – but nobody seemed to care. The Script gave Halifax a night to remember.
We both enjoyed the night, but we also enjoyed getting home to no flooding, and drying out too!
Images: Cuffe & Taylor and The Piece Hall
Give Steve music, give him food, give him theatre, tech or travel… and he’s a happy man. He’s been writing professionally since 2003, turning to journalism in 2017 when it offered him the chance to enjoy a lot of his existing passions, and learn some new ones at the same time. Steve can be found spending many of his summer nights watching bands at The Piece Hall in his hometown of Halifax, or enjoying a bite to eat and a drink with his wife anywhere in Yorkshire at any time of year. Random fact: He does the best impression of Zippy and George from Rainbow that anyone has ever heard.
