"Cardiff, are there any uptown girls in the house tonight?" Westlife asked as they took to the stage as the sun set on Cardiff Castle, teasing a glimpse of the concert yet to come. The high-energy, fun-filled gig at the iconic site in the Welsh capital was a first for the band, and they gave it everything they had.
There were three outfit changes, an impressive medley of ABBA's greatest hits, and a "booty-shaking" mash-up of World of Our Own and Beyonce's Crazy in Love, what's more, the show was jam-packed with all the 90s and 00s classics that Westlife fans know and love. Despite missing band member Mark Feehily, who is recovering from surgery, Shane Filan, Kian Egan, and Nicky Byrne put on a show to remember.
The trio kicked off the gig with Starlight from their latest album Wild Dreams, before belting out Uptown Girl and When You’re Looking Like That with effortless ease. The boys, who were celebrating Shane Filan’s birthday, were on top form as they promised the crowd a "Westlife party" and certainly delivered, taking fans back to 1999 with Fool Again and If I Let You Go.
Hits My Love and Swear it Again swiftly followed, but not before Westlife paused between tracks to share their love for Wales and how much they were enjoying their first gig inside the castle walls. "You're making us feel very loved here in Wales," they told the crowd, before adding: "We always feel the love here."
And it seems the crowd felt the same way as they threw cards at Shane's feet and sang Happy Birthday to the star in Welsh. In fact, the whole thing felt like a throwback to the noughties, with Nicky telling the crowd: "It's the first time in like five years but the banners are back, we used to read them out."
The band engaged with the delighted crowd throughout, pointing out individuals in the front row and even kicking around an inflatable football that wound up on stage. "I'm in Wales playing football, forget the singing lark," Nicky teased before booting the ball back where it had come from.
Each track felt like it had more pizzazz and punch than the one before, with the crowd singing along and swaying to every song, including the ABBA medley, which saw Shane, Nicky, and Kian arrive on stage decked out in matching silver waistcoats and glitter covered boots. 2009's What About Now and the band's famous cover of Mandy also went down a storm, and in a real treat for Cardiff fans, the trio also sang I Lay My Love On You, which they said they'd never performed on tour in the UK.
Next up was a beautiful rendition of Flying Without Wings, although Mark's stunning vocals were missed, with Westlife asking the crowd to instead sing his parts. The encore then saw the band return in yet another outfit as they sang the newer track Hello My Love, which is the lead single from their eleventh studio album, Spectrum.
Finally, Westlife ended the concert the only way they really could, with a tear-jerking performance of You Raise Me Up. There wasn't a dry eye in sight as they huddled in the middle of the stage to sing the emotional track. The spine-tingling song was made all the more special as they lifted up the Irish and Welsh flags before bowing out.
The castle gig was part of the band's Wild Dreams tour, which saw them perform at Cardiff International Arena just months ago in December 2022. Westlife were also without Mark then who was forced to pull out of the band's UK shows after being diagnosed with pneumonia. Earlier this year Mark announced he wouldn't be able to join the trio for their dates in Denmark, Sweden, Mexico, Henley, and the Welsh capital after undergoing surgery.
There are plenty more gigs to come at Cardiff Castle, including Hozier on July 6, The Lumineers on July 7 and legendary Welsh icon Sir Tom Jones who has a number of dates that kick off on Friday, July 21.
