The Script: Satellites review: Danny rewrites the Script for lost friend, writes ADRIAN THRILLS

The Script: Satellites review: Danny rewrites the Script for lost friend, writes ADRIAN THRILLS By Adrian Thrills for the Daily Mail Published: 01:00 BST, 16 August 2024 | Updated: 01:13 BST, 16 August 2024 e-mail View comments The Script: Satellites (BMG) Verdict: Life-affirming salute Rating: When The Script’s guitarist Mark Sheehan died last year after a brief illness, singer Danny O’Donoghue lost more than a bandmate. They’d been kindred spirits since bonding over a love of American soul music in their teens in Dublin. Before forming the band in 2001, they worked as a production team in Los Angeles .

So it’s no surprise that Sheehan’s absence hangs heavily over Satellites, the Irish group’s first album since his death. He and O’Donoghue were The Script’s creative hub. But, while there was talk of calling it a day, the group believed Mark would have wanted them to go on, and this surprisingly upbeat, life-affirming album is a fitting tribute; the light after the darkness, according to drummer Glen Power.

With Danny and Glen backed by bassist Ben Sargent and guitarist Ben Weaver, many of the songs hark back to the simple, emotional pop of the group’s self-titled 2008 debut album. The folky title track was co-written by Sheehan in one of his last sessions, while Gone mourns his passing. ‘Like a shooting star across the sky, in a second you were gone,’ laments Danny.

Former Voice UK coach O’Donoghue sings of his upbringing on Home Is Where The Hurt Is,.