McFly @ The Piece Hall 10/08/2024

Rating: ★★★★★

The Piece Hall Rating: ★★★★★

Where I stayed: The Old Post Office (Very central!)

SETLIST:

Where Did All The Guitars Go?
Land Of The Bees
One For The Radio
Star Girl
That Girl
Lies
Room On The 3rd Floor
Obviously
Everybody Knows
Livin’ On A Prayer / YMCA / Radio Gaga / Twist And Shout (Medley)
Happiness
All About You
Shine A Light
Red
Forever’s Not Enough
The Heart Never Lies
Broccoli
5 Colours In Her Hair

I was waiting for another McFly show to be announced after seeing them in Scotland last year, so jumped at the chance to buy a ticket for this show. It was advertised before any of their other summer shows, so I chose to go even though I knew Halifax would be awkward to get to. I would also be missing our local MacMoray Festival, which had a very impressive line-up compared to previous years. I checked out pictures of The Piece Hall online and it easily won me over. It is the oldest remaining Georgian cloth hall in the world and it is even more stunning in real life. I spent the whole of August 9th travelling from Inverness to Manchester via bus, which was more energy-sapping than I had anticipated. I felt pressured to reach my hotel in good time, as they don’t offer late night check-ins. I made it to Halifax around 7pm, thanks to a train from Victoria Station which took less than an hour. I missed McFly’s first soundcheck the following afternoon, as I had fallen back asleep after all the travelling. I woke up to them performing ‘The Heart Never Lies’ and could have kicked myself, as I had planned to circle the area in case there was a soundcheck! They had finished by the time I got there but people were still milling around, so I don’t know whether the soundcheck had been public. I walked around the lower-level balcony and even behind the stage, which felt like it should have been a restricted area as you could see guitars and picnic benches. The shops and cafés there were open until 4pm, which was great. I got a delicious coffee from one, to make sure sleep didn’t get the better of me again. This particular café had stopped serving hot food at 2pm, which was disappointing but made sense since they wanted to get everybody out by 4pm to prepare for the concert. I sauntered past the merch stall a couple of times but none of the items took my fancy. My favourite was the 2024 summer tour t-shirt but I might check their website again in a couple of months, to see if prices are reduced.

I waited at the South Gate entrance, after going back to the hotel to change and freshen up. The queue was intimidatingly long but security soon split us into four or five lanes, which helped. The doors were due to open at 6pm but they started checking our bags and tickets ten minutes early. Everyone made a mad dash towards the stage, to get as close as possible. I stood near the centre, in the second row. It was an uncomfortable couple of hours, as people were fighting over spots at the barrier and the sun was getting stronger by the minute. I couldn’t find the stage times anywhere online so didn’t know how late the opening act would come on, or if there would be more than one. State Of Error took to the stage at 7:45pm and made sure the long wait was worthwhile. The band is made up of Richard Hadley (vocals/rhythm guitar), Tom Partyka (guitar), Mikey Green (bass) and Danny Moore (drums). They were enthusiastic from the get-go and happy to be opening for McFly, in front of 6,000 people. RH got everyone to show them their best jazz hands or spirit fingers, before getting carried away and requesting they jump up and down, on top of everything else. People were quick to give him exactly what he wanted, so he joked they looked stupid for blindly following his instructions. I was all too aware how dumb I would look, so didn’t join in! The song which stood out the most to me was the reflective ‘Moments’, their latest single which only came out the day before. RH said it was about going through a hard time and how the way you react to it defines who you are as a person. They threw in an unexpectedly upbeat cover of ‘Flowers’ by Miley Cyrus, promising us we would all know the lyrics and be able to sing along. They plugged their merchandise, also for sale in the corner of the venue. I didn’t notice when I walked past the stall but wished I had, as I didn’t want to battle my way through thousands of people to have another look. I hope they made a good amount of money from this event, as they deserve it. They finished with the catchy ‘Sunset Boulevard’, which is going to be stuck in my head all night after listening to it again. I thought they were a great opener for McFly and kept the energy high during their whole set.

McFly was welcomed by thousands of screaming fans at 9pm. Danny Jones (vocals/guitar) said he used to visit the town during school trips, being from Bolton, only an hour’s drive away. He shouted ‘Eureka!’ which seemed random to the rest of the band but was a reference to Eureka! The National Children’s Museum, situated in Halifax. It was funny when Harry Judd (drums) asked if that was ‘a Northern thing’ and Dougie Poynter (bass) wanted to adopt the word and use it in daily conversation. I was excited to see how the setlist would differ from last time. I noticed they had performed ‘That Girl’ and ‘Broccoli’ over the summer, which are rarities I had never heard live before. I was very happy to hear them this time around. As usual, DP did most of the talking. He said not everybody loves McFly and went on to insult their rival band Busted for laughs. Tom Fletcher (also vocals/guitar) recalled being a member of Busted for 24 hours, before they decided to go in a different direction. DP said that was a good segway into their song ‘Room On The 3rd Floor’, about learning how to keep your feet on the ground. ‘Everybody Knows’ was one of my favourite songs from the night and featured a medley of ‘Livin’ On a Prayer’, ‘YMCA’, ‘Radio Gaga’ and ‘Twist And Shout’. DP whispered to DJ that he had ‘messed up’ his epic guitar solo and prompted him to do it again from the beginning, so we could get our money’s worth! Disappointed glances were exchanged between superfans during ‘Happiness’, which has become a staple of their setlists since the release of their album ‘Young Dumb Thrills’ in 2020. I don’t understand the hate, although there are many other McFly songs I would rather hear live. The band always makes an effort to engage with the crowd. At Sandown Park Racecourse, a couple of days before, they performed ‘POV’ for a girl with a sign saying her husband will let her get a dog if they did. TF spotted a girl’s colourful poster, challenging them to a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors. The band had to perform one of the four songs she had selected despite the outcome, which didn’t make sense. DJ won but the decision came down to TF, who predictably chose ‘The Heart Never Lies’, which they had been practicing throughout the day. It was a cute part of the night, though. The highlight of the evening for me was ‘Red’, which will always be my favourite song of theirs. I love the lighting during it and how DJ comes down into the crowd.

They ended on ‘Five Colours In Her Hair’, making the crowd go wild. They must have been onstage for an hour and a half but it all felt like it was over too quickly. Then again, I almost always feel this way. Each of the band members are extremely talented and always full of energy. Their charisma constantly blows me away, as well as how incredible they sound live. They gained many new fans after DJ’s stint on ‘The Masked Singer’ earlier this year, especially after he went on to win the competition. His performances on it really showcase his vocal ability, which I know many people previously overlooked. I heard fathers leaving the venue, telling their daughters how pleasantly surprised they were, even though it is not their type of music. They performed at The Piece Hall again on the 18th, which would have better suited me. I can’t really complain, when I had such a fantastic evening. I just wish everything would be announced at the same time. They changed the setlist only slightly for the second date, adding fan favourites ‘Corrupted’ and ‘Honey I’m Home’. I would absolutely revisit Halifax and The Piece Hall but would consider flying to Manchester from Inverness next time, if I can afford to. I enjoyed exploring the town and hearing Korn’s performance on the first night, since the venue was just down the road from my hotel. The Piece Hall is hosting a whopping 35 shows and events over the summer, which is bringing in a lot of tourists. Even though Korn, McFly and Status Quo fans were all flocking to the area, I still found it to be incredibly peaceful. I even made a joke to my family about wanting to move there in the future. This was McFly’s first time performing in Halifax, which was a fun fact to learn and made the event even more special. You don’t ever hear much about the place, although it has a rich history. As far as I can make out, these concerts are having a very positive impact on the quiet town. Hopefully we were not too annoying for the locals. I will see McFly again at The O2 in London later this year, for their 21st Birthday show. I’m expecting some deep cuts. Bring it on!

GALLERY