The Script on which city's crowds are loudest and why Asian fans are so special to them
The Irish trio last rocked it out in the 852 in 2011, but they still remember with fondness the amazing reception they received in the city
The Script will be in live in Hong Kong on Tuesday. Irish pop rockers and Superheroes The Script will make their long-awaited return to Hong Kong this Tuesday, and they will be performing at Kitec’s Star Hall. The trio are currently touring the world in support of Freedom Child, their number one album released last September. The group last visited Hong Kong back in 2011 and, following their recent show in Singapore, frontman Danny O’Donoghue spoke to Young Post over the phone about what he remembers from seven years ago.
“I remember how crazy it was, as soon as we got off the plane,” recalled O’Donoghue. “We’re from Ireland, but we had such a big following. I remember thinking: ‘I cant believe we’re in Hong Kong right now, and people know us, and our songs!’”
So, what can we expect from the pop stars this time round?
“It’s a lot of fun, and a lot more varied,” revealed the 38-year-old. “We try to bring everyone together with our main single Rain. For My Man Is An Island, we turn the whole theatre into an ocean. Then there’s a part of the show where we go into the audience, and we change the song every night, and that’s really good fun.”
The Script gained international fame for soft-rock ballads, but their latest album has resulted in some stylistic changes to their show. “The more uptempo songs from Freedom Child are more electronic than our older material,” O’Donoghue explained. “It’s really fun to play. I feel like people are really starting to dance at our shows now.”
The group are playing their biggest and most exciting shows to date across Europe, America, and Asia, but their busy schedule means they don’t get to see much of the cities they visit.
“When we’re touring, we don’t get to do any sightseeing,” O’Donoghue confessed. “Normally, you’ll land on the day of the show – sometimes the night before – and spend the whole day preparing for the show. So we never get to leave the venue. If I wanted to stay for a week somewhere, then everyone else gets to stay for a week – and with a crew of 60 people, we couldn’t afford it.” But the songwriter has started taking notes for the next time he’s ever in town. “I write down the places we’ve been to, and my plan is to try and come back to all these places later in life.”
O’Donoghue added, though, that it’s important to travel to see their fans. “Jakarta was possibly the loudest crowd we’ve ever played to. We’ve also had an unbelievable response from this album in Singapore, with millions of streams coming from there. We’re not from here and we don’t speak the language, which is why [their love is] so special for us,” said the frontman. “We hang out with fans after shows sometimes, we sign autographs, and we try to make the best of it. The fans out here are so active in promoting us as a band, so passionate about our music, that you have to pay homage to them and meet them. We’re thanking them for always supporting us.”
Even though the world tour is almost wrapped up, The Script aren’t planning to rest on their laurels any time soon. “We’re going to go straight into album six,” confirmed O’Donoghue. “We’re already talking about recording the next record and how we’re going to do it. It’s great playing [our songs] around the world, but after a while, you can’t help but think about making new music.”
Edited by Ginny Wong