Gig review: The Waterboys at Rock City

Before we were transported into the world of The Waterboys, folk duo Zervas & Pepper had an offering of Americana goodness to give first.

Their music has been vastly shaped by their time on the road, and it very much has that ‘acoustic guitar and a breeze’ feel to it. It’s incredibly easy listening, and a great way to dip your toes in to start your evening. The pair have a palpable chemistry, allowing for some really sweet harmonies between the two vocalists. Living in a Small Town was particularly dreamy, and has been a track that’s really captured my attention since hearing it that night. It has dynamic punctuation within the verses, and flowing melodic lines that really capture that travelling spirit in a beautiful way.

Their performance was oh-so simple and oh-so enjoyable, though the chatter of the Rock City crowd was rather distracting, and downright disrespectful. Such is life at these bigger gigs, but I can imagine that in a smaller setting, the duo would have been able to really shine. 

The Waterboys kicked off with A Pagan Place - an incredibly spacey track that perfectly set the atmosphere, ahead of what was set to be an incredibly cinematic night ahead of their part-film part-song feature presentation: Life, Death and Dennis Hopper.

The set started with just Mike Scott, frontman and sole permanent fixture of the band with his guitar before being joined by James Hallawell, Brother Paul Brown, Aongus Ralston and Eamon Ferris. This slow and steady track headed nicely into Glastonbury Song, a track that oscillates between distorted rock guitar moments and bright keyboard melodies. Following that was the instantly recognisable How Long Will I Love You, which unsurprisingly brought about a lot of vocal support from the Rock City audience. Hearing this absolute classic from The Waterboys live in the room for the first time was a simply magical experience. 

This was my first rodeo with The Waterboys, who are no strangers to Rock City, as Scott identified during the set. Seemingly much to his surprise, plenty of attendees cheered to say that they’d been to see them back in 1986, exactly 39 years - to the day - earlier. The band were also at Rock City in 2001... I wasn’t actually alive for either of these visits, so 2025 was my first time, and if the modern iteration of the band was as exciting to watch as they were back then, I can only imagine how much of a ball these punters would have had in the band’s heyday.  

Another big hitter came along early on as well - This is the Sea. I found this one particularly enchanting, on account for Hallawell’s masterful keyboard playing. Though seated and deeply concentrated, his movement between notes completely personified dancing in the rain, and were completely and utterly mesmerizing. The love and instrumental expertise on display from all five members of the band was just awesome throughout the night, and this was perhaps the first of many moments where this was really under a spotlight and on show. 

The occasion for the tour is the release of their brand new concept album Life, Death and Dennis Hopper - an album which takes much of what you know about The Waterboys and chucks it out of the window to create quite an abstract, Americana-tinged experience all in celebration of the late actor.

The opening track of the album, Kansas, was played out with its singer, Steve Earle, projected onto the screen performing the track. Earle set the scene here, singing as a young Hopper, dreaming of leaving the state in search of something new. Hallawell also took this opportunity to swap out his dark and moody suit jacket for a pop-art colour palette of blue and yellow - a nice touch. The story was then continued with a rockin’ and a-rollin’ number: Live in the Moment, Baby. This one was jam-packed with energy, scorching riffs and boogie-woogie organ hits.

Projections accompanied their performance of the album throughout, as the band weaved through genre, going from the dreamy pop landscape of Andy (A Guy Like You) to the gruff rough and readiness of Ten Years Gone to the Blues for Terry Southern. My lovely mother, who accompanied me for the night, remarked that the performance of the album felt a little bit like an acid trip, which feels quite fitting in reflection of the 60s and the art pop movement. We both agreed it was a trip we very much enjoyed taking.

During this section of the night, Zervas & Pepper frequently returned to join in with the fun supporting with some lovely harmonies. Joining them as well though, new to the stage, was Barny Fletcher, an up and coming singer-songwriter that combines soul, R&B and pop music in his own work. Barny’s musical flavours added a much appreciated new dimension to the Waterboys ensemble, in particular through Fletcher’s lending of his gorgeous falsetto vocals. His contributions reminded me a lot of Orpheus in Hadestown on the West-End - a part he’d probably play really well with his heart-melting high notes and emotional storytelling, which is something the audience really got to appreciate towards the end of the set when they performed a song of his own. Wasted Sunset was written for Fletcher’s late mother who sadly passed away when he was a child. Scott admitted that it was a track that the band had become ‘obsessed with’, so they simply had to add it to the set list. I was really disappointed that quite a lot of people (who were probably drunkenly awaiting Fisherman’s Blues) chatted over some of this track, just as they had throughout Zervas & Pepper’s performance, but those that listened properly received this one really well. It’s a deeply personal, anthemic track that really showcases Fletcher’s range and unique vocal tone. 

Perhaps the most epic part of the night was a ferocious battle of the keys between Brother Paul and James Hallawell, which really stopped the audience in their tracks. I didn’t think it was possible for limbs to move that fast! Though of course there was a degree of pantomime to the affair, it was electrifying to watch an almost competitive flair emerge between the two virtuosos as they powered on to roaring applause from the audience. I was simply gobsmacked.

Of course, as well, The Whole of the Moon was an obvious highlight. This global mega-classic of a hit resounded around the room, as the band actively encouraged the crowd to join them in unison to sing out. Fletcher’s additions to the track were wonderful too - I can only imagine what an immense honour this must feel like night after night. Everyone in that room will have a memory, or a person or a time in their life that that song takes them back to. The room instantly radiated with youth, warmth and love.

Another highly entertaining and memorable moment came during the encore - Brother Paul’s mad keytar shenanigans during A Girl Called Johnny (a certified Waterboys Banger!) I’m genuinely not sure that I’ve ever seen a musician perform with quite as much enjoyment and zest as Brother Paul, who was absolutely beaming all night long, playing with such a ferocity throughout the evening, coming to a crescendo at this point with his keytar. Of course the first thing I did when I got in the car to head home after the gig was search Facebook Marketplace for a keytar of my own (if a keytar can bring a person as much happiness as Brother Paul, then I’ll have what he’s having thank you very much.) 

I came away from this gig smacked in the face by two hours of pure musical mastery. The Waterboys managed to combine the feeling of community with an insane amount of talent and cultural knowledge in an accessible and soulful package for all to enjoy. A truly legendary band, returning to bless the hallowed halls of Rock City yet again. 

The Waterboys performed at Rock City on 7th May 2025, with support from Zervas & Pepper.

Photos above by Nigel King, below by Mike Hazeldine