ShareOlly Murs with special guests Scouting For Girls performing his Marry Me Tour at The Motorpoint Arena Nottingham on Thursday 27th April 2023.
Images and Review by Kevin Cooper
Olly Murs stopped off at the Motorpoint Arena on Thursday night as part of his Marry Me Tour and delivered an energetic and charismatic performance that had the crowd in the palm of his hand from beginning to end, teasing them with his boyish charm and flirtatious dancing.
His special guests were the very talented Scouting For Girls and many of the seats were taken as the band took to the stage, led by the charming Roy Stride. Their too short set list included fans favourites such as Famous, This Ain’t A Love Song and Posh Girls.
The crowd sang along to their timeless hit, Elvis Ain’t Dead and for set closer She’s So Lovely they danced away to its infectious beat. With their engaging between song banter and extremely polished performance there was no doubting that they were worthy of this opening slot.
As the sound of church bells resounded around the Arena the crowd erupted. At the top of the stairs between two large interactive screens, Murs, dressed all in white, began his set with the title track from his latest album, Marry Me, which set the tone for the rest of the evening.
With his fantastic live band and a talented duo of backing singers he treated the crowd to other new songs, I Found Her, I Hate You When You’re Drunk and Dancing On Cars. But it was the oldies that had everyone singing along.
You Don’t Know Love had the crowd jumping to its catchy pop melody, whilst Dear Darlin’ from 2012’s Right Place Right Time saw him sat on the steps to deliver the very emotional highlight that momentarily silenced the hyperactive crowd.
There were some of his most popular songs such as Best Night Of Your Life, Kiss Me/Watermelon Sugar and Thinking Of Me which saw him captivate the crowd with his soulful voice and impressive dance moves. Neil Diamond’s Sweet Caroline was dedicated to the memory of his old friend, Caroline Flack, which saw him get very emotional, especially when the crowd joined him on the chorus.
Mentioning his forthcoming nuptials in the summer on many occasions, he asked the drummer which song he should have at his wedding. With an answer of Queen’s We Will Rock You which was thankfully ignored, Murs took things up a notch with a huge mash up which included Celebration, Blame It On The Boogie, Dancing On The Ceiling, and I Want It That Way to name just a few. And when he finished his main set with Dance With Me Tonight, the crowd did just that.
His encore song Troublemaker finished this energy driven performance which showed that Murs was born to be on the stage. On Thursday he had harnessed his inexhaustible energy that recognised no generation gap, evidenced when he jumped off the runway to give 84 year old Jean a kiss, making it an unforgettable night, not just for her but for the packed Arena crowd.
