The Waterboys at Symphony Hall, Birmingham - UK Tour Review

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Fri 16 May 2025 - Thu 29 May 2025

I first saw The Waterboys in concert in 1985 at Birmingham arts venue, The Triangle. The band’s third album, This is the Sea, the last of their ‘Big Music’ LPs, had just been released, so the audience was treated to early live performances of what have since become Waterboys’ classics. Tracks such as Don’t Bang the Drum, The Pan Within and The Whole of the Moon. It remains one of the most memorable gigs I’ve ever seen.

Forty years on, The Triangle is no more but The Waterboys, with frontman Mike Scott the only original member, continue to record and tour. Timeless tracks showcased in 1985 still feature in the band’s 2025 set – but Scott’s constant creativity means they’re joined by a host of new material.



After kicking off the two-hour Birmingham Symphony Hall show with half a dozen fan favourites – Fisherman's Blues (featuring support act Zervas and Pepper), Glastonbury Song, How Long Will I Love You?, Be My Enemy, A Pagan Place and This Is the Sea – the musicians (Scott, with pianist James Hallawell, organist Brother Paul Brown, bassist Aongus Ralston and drummer Eamon Ferris) launch into a large chunk of their latest release, Life, Death and Dennis Hopper, a 25-track album chronicling the life and work of the eponymous actor and director. They are joined on stage by singer and 'guest Waterboy' Barny Fletcher, who provided backing vocals on the album, and Zervas and Pepper.



Including 13 new tracks in a concert is a brave move but the audience had already been warmed up with some rockin' Waterboys' classics and there were impressive movie clips and video effects projected onto a huge screen at the back of the stage to enhance the music. Scott's explanations about the songs were also illuminating. On hearing the album for the first time, I was puzzled by the track Blues For Terry Southern but I now know that Southern wrote the Easy Rider screenplay - and never got paid. Similarly, I wondered about Michelle (Always Stay) until Scott told us it was about singer Michelle Phillips, whose marriage to Dennis Hopper lasted just eight days. Also interesting was the origin of the song Golf, They Say. Scott revealed that Hopper had been taught the game by Willie Nelson. I shall listen to the album again with a fresh perspective!

After all the new material, the audience was ready for more classic songs. They weren't disappointed. Don't Bang The Drum, A Girl Called Johnny and The Pan Within (with a no-holds-barred keyboard battle between Hallawell and Brother Paul), preceded the encore of Medicine Bow, Wasted Sunset (written and sung by Barny Fletcher) and The Whole of the Moon.

The Waterboys return to Birmingham to headline the Moseley Folk & Arts Festival on August 29, 2025. Don't miss them.



The Waterboys' remaining UK tour dates:

May 18: Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre;
May 19: New Theatre, Cardiff;
May 20: Cambridge Corn Exchange;
May 22: Bristol Beacon;
May 23: New Theatre, Oxford;
May 24: Stockton Globe
May 25: Venue Cymru, Llandudno;
May 27: G Live, Guildford;
May 28: De Montfort Hall, Leicester;
May 31 & June 1: Roundhouse, London;
June 8: Waterfront Hall, Belfast;
June 11: Aberdeen Concert Hall;
June. 12: Glasgow Royal Concert Hall;
June 13: Usher Hall, Edinburgh;
June 14 & 16: Barrowland Ballroom, Glasgow;
June 17: O2 Academy, Leeds;
June 19: Hall for Cornwall, Truro.


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