There have been some rafter-raising performances at the Royal Albert Hall in its time, but last night was probably the first time that the appearance of three bar stools in the storied venue has been greeted with deafening screams. By the time Westlife, backed by the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, stepped up off them for one of their signature key changes, the roof was blown clear off.
Westlife are treating fans to a sold-out two-night run of glamour (dress code: cocktail attire), and as an amuse bouche before kicking off their world tour next year. The boy band, officially reunited in 2018 following a six-year hiatus, are celebrating their 25th anniversary with new songs, a new album, and a UK and European tour.
Shane Filan, Nicky Bryne and Kian Egan may no longer put the boy in boyband, but are on cracking form in their mid-forties. Frankly, they’ve never looked or sounded better — important qualities when your bread and butter is ballads and being every (former) teen girl’s crush. Their emotive harmonies and yes, those key changes, meshed gloriously with the orchestral backing.
Nostalgia gets bums on seats currently (looking at you, Oasis), but Westlife clearly haven’t rested on the laurels of all those records and record-breaking stints at number one. It was a slick show with pyrotechnics, perfectly tailored suits — including a costume change — light-up stairs and judicious amounts of dry ice.
Fourth member Mark Feehily is on the new album, but is currently dealing with health issues that are preventing him from performing. The others made a very touching tribute to him, bringing on Kirsten Joy of Clean Bandit fame to cover his soaring vocals in Flying Without Wings.
Of course, the hits were played — it was indeed a celebration of those many hits — and they still very much hit home to the audience. Mandy, I Have A Dream/Seasons In The Sun (the 1999 Christmas number one!), Fool Again and Uptown Girl. Singing along was encouraged, and with so many lyrics hardwired into once-impressionable brains it would have been hard not to. Thankfully, the RAH has the acoustics to dampen out our caterwauling from the stalls while letting the music rise above it.
Even the husbands and boyfriends couldn’t pretend to be long-suffering for very long in such an atmosphere of unrestrained joy. Although the band did rag them all, gently, over the fact they’d been gracing the walls of their lovers’ bedrooms in poster format long before they came on the scene. Crowd work is a dying artform, but Westlife know the key to getting a whole concert hall swooning is to have good chat.
Normally when a band wheels out the new music everyone feigns polite interest until the next beloved tune, but Chariot also got a foot-stomping response — despite only having been released mere days ago. Credit where credit is due to Ed Sheeran’s song-writing abilities for crafting a tune with an instantly chant-ready refrain. They closed out on a winning double bill of You Raise Me Up and, of course, Swear It Again.
Westlife are elevating fan service to a high art form here. Plus, there’s nothing better than dressing up and screaming in a room full of people who love the same thing.
Westlife at the Royal Albert Hall, 27 and 28 October, royalalberthall.com
