Shooting The Script: Reflections on Their 2025 Forest Live Gig at Thetford.
Now, I’ve been a professional music photographer for over 14 years now through Blanc Creative and as a freelance press photographer for Splash News Agency.
I’ve hauled gear into pits, across muddy fields, dusty paths and in the torrential downpours of most typical British summers.
I’ve dodged elbows (Not the Band) and chased that one perfect frame where the light, the sweat, and the emotion all line up.
I’ve shot everyone from stadium fillers to sweaty club nights, but few bands have consistently treated me – like a valued human being…
Until you meet The Script and Danny O’Donoghue
Their Live show at High Lodge, Thetford on 20 June 2025 wasn’t their first Rodeo in the Forest.
They’ve played in the forest at High Lodge on three separate occasions, and I’ve had the pleasure shoot them on all of those.
It may have just been another date on the Satellites World Tour, but as a concert photographer, it was another reminder why these lads from Dublin stand out in an industry that’s increasingly guarded, corporate, and distant.
Let’s get the facts straight first, because this isn’t some fluffy fan piece.
The Script formed in 2001 in Dublin: Danny O’Donoghue on vocals, piano and guitar, the late Mark Sheehan on lead guitar and vocals, and Glen Power on drums.
Their self-titled debut in 2008 went number one in Ireland and the UK, spawning absolute anthems like “The Man Who Can’t Be Moved” and “Breakeven.” They followed with Science & Faith (2010), #3 (2012) – home to the monster “Hall of Fame” with will.i.am – No Sound Without Silence (2014), Freedom Child (2017), Sunsets & Full Moons (2019), and then the 2021 greatest hits Tales from
Mark’s sudden death from a brain aneurysm in April 2023 hit hard.
The band could’ve folded. Instead, Danny and Glen pushed on.
By 2024 they’d quietly become a four-piece. Long-time bassist Ben Sargeant was made official, and guitarist Ben Weaver joined properly.
No attempt to “replace” Mark – they’ve said that openly.
Their seventh studio album, Satellites, dropped 16 August 2024 via BMG. It’s tight, confident, full of the heartfelt pop-rock they do best but with fresh edges.
The 2025 tour was massive – UK arena runs, festivals, international legs – and the Forest Live dates at Thetford and Westonbirt came hot on its heels.
Sold-out 10,000-capacity show in the trees on a Friday night with perfect midsummer weather. Support from Tom Walker. Simple, no-frills, proper gig.
I’ve shot The Script multiple times over the years.
First proper pit access was years back, and every single time the experience has been the same: zero ego, maximum respect.
I remember the first time I ever meet Danny. It was their second year at Thetford. He was sound checking and I’d wandered down to the stage for a listen. When he finished, I intyrioducd myself and said.
‘HI Danny, I’m Lee, the Forest Live Photographer. He laughed and and said… I’m Danny, The singer…’
I enquired if he’d be out in the crowd and of course, I knew the answer would be yes, but unfortunbately, it wouldn’t be in the first 3 songs that we’d been allowed to photograph.
When I said, that’s a shame… he said ‘Come with me…’ He took me backstage and gave me a pass to shoot the entire show, something that’s almost unheard of in this day and age.
Now Forest Live is a fairly intimate event. 10k maximum crowd is pretty subdued when the band were heading off to Headline Isle of Wight Festival the very next day, but these guys are human and Thetrford High Lodge is a very special place. It’s a calm, lush hudeaway where the noise is only usually broken by the F15’s on exercise from the4 nearby USAF Airbase at Lakenheath.
So pre-concert, the band took off for. little stroll around the woods and once again, I had the opportunity to tag along and shoot a few Behind the scenes photos as we strolled around.
It’s times like this when you see the real people behind the music and the act.
As a caveat here, I’ve had conversations on many occasions with gig photographers on the subject of being totally let down when you meet the artists off stage.
I’ve had some incredible disappointments that will remain nameless. I’m not being endorsed by the band or getting any sponsorship or payment for this article. I’m just putting my personal experiences out there.
But if you get the opportunity to meet Danny or any of The Script… You’l walk away with a huge smile on your face… Because they’re human, down to earth, genuine people, with no bullshit attached.
The Script take to the stage
High Lodge is a proper woodland venue – trees framing the stage both sides, natural light filtering through the canopy during golden hour, then proper stage rig kicking in as the sun drops.
The crowd was a proper mix: families with kids on shoulders, lads in their thirties belting every word, teenagers discovering the back catalogue via TikTok.
Ten thousand people in the middle of Thetford Forest, eve of the summer solstice, zero rain. You couldn’t script better conditions.
Tom Walker warmed things up nicely – big voice, proper energy, “Leave A Light On” sounding massive under the trees, so worth including a couple pf pics here.
Then the lights went down and The Script walked out. Straight into “Superheroes.”
That opening riff hits different live. Danny in shades and a sharp red-and-black suit (covering a black eye from a recent boxing session, he explained later with a grin).
Glen solid as ever on the drums. Ben Sargeant and Ben Weaver locking in tight on the new four-piece setup.
No nostalgia baiting, no over-the-top tributes – just the band as they are now, playing the songs people came for.
From the pit, the first three songs flew by in that familiar blur of sweat, flashing lights, and trying to nail every shot in that first 9 minutes or so. No time for the faint hearted. You’re shooting on muscle memory, compoletely on manual settings and constantly changing that Iso, speed and depth of field.
But here’s where it gets different: the permissions were extended again this year. The production manager recogiosed me earlier ing the day and kindly looked after me. I got the nod to stay in the pit for the whole concert and capture the obligatory crowd walk that had the audience frantically scrabbling for selfies.
That extra time let me catch the transition as the sun started setting behind the trees during “The Man Who Can’t Be Moved.” That song is still their calling card for a reason.
Older fans losing their minds, younger ones filming on phones – the whole place singing every word. I nailed a couple of frames with Danny silhouetted against the orange sky and the crowd behind him like a sea of phone lights. Pure magic.
Ninety minutes of proper feel-good, no gimmicks.
As the house lights came up and people started filing out between the trees, you could feel it – everyone left happier than when they arrived.
In an age where artists are shielded behind layers of management, NDAs, and “no photos” zones, The Script still operate like the lads who played small Dublin clubs twenty years ago.
Humble isn’t a marketing word for them – it’s just how they are. Danny, Glen, Ben and Ben – all of them.
They remember the people who’ve been around, treat the guy with the cameras, like equals.
It’s rare. It’s noticeable. And it makes shooting The Script an actual pleasure instead of a battle.
Looking back, the 2025 Thetford show sits up there with the best I’ve captured of them, but I’ll let you decide that.
The Script in 2025 aren’t the same band they were in 2008, and that’s a great thing.
They’ve evolved, absorbed loss, added members, released new music that still sounds like them but moves forward.
The core remains: honest songs about real life, delivered without pretension.
As someone who’s shot them across multiple tours, I can say with zero bullshit that they’re one of the most grounded, decent bands still operating at this level.
They don’t have to extend pit time, don’t have to stop for a chat, don’t have to remember the photographer’s name. They choose to.
If you caught them at Thetford or anywhere on the Satellites tour, you know what I mean.
If you haven’t, sort it next time they roll through. And if you’re in the industry – artist, manager, promoter – take note. Treating people right isn’t weakness. It’s class. The Script have it in bucket loads.
Here’s to more forest gigs, more extended shooting time, and more nights where the music, the trees, and 10,000 voices remind you why we all do this in the first place.
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