MUSIC INTERVIEW: The Script
THE Script's new album is called Science and Faith. "I think when people see the name they will think it's a provocative title," acknowledges the band's guitarist Mark Sheehan in a Dublin accent as deep as the Liffey. "Three Irish lads talking abour religion.
"But the two subjects we tend to avoid are politics and religion. They're conversation-stoppers."
The title, it transpires, is metaphorical.
"We tend to write songs with a social conscience, about our lives. Guys in their mid-twenties are going through certain things. Science and Faith is about the struggle in relationships between men and women. Men think they are very scientific; women are more into the emotional concept of faith. Man has this inner struggle of logic. (The conflict between the sexes] is indicative of what this record is about."
Unlike many bands about to release their second album, The Script are not talking up any radical change of direction. Mark sees a virtue in continuity.
"We got the chance to record and produce our first record ourselves – taking that on again was massive for us. What we have done is (create] what we could class as our own sound. Making mistakes, you stumble across a sound of your own.
"This record is more of a continuation for us rather than a huge transition.
"It's not a techno album," he chuckles. "It's what we know."
The huge success of The Script's first album – 1.8 million sales and counting – prompted the trio to be declared "Ireland's biggest band since U2". Mark finds the comparison flattering but bewildering.
"As humbling as it is, how can anybody say that? The fact that we are Irish and carry instruments is the reason why we are compared with them. I guess you could say we are the biggest band in Ireland to sell records generally since The Corrs or The Cranberries."
The Script adopt a similarly level-headed approach to their business dealings. "As success comes your record company is always willing to splash the chequebook about, but we're savvy guys," says Mark. "We managed ourselves for the first 18 months, we negotiated our own record deal. We wanted to keep control of the record close to us. We self-produced it. Although there was a massive budget available to us we did not play with it – on purpose.
"Having a record company is sometimes like having a bank that can give you money. That doesn't mean we have to take it."
Much of the band's savvy stems from the band's experience. Mark and singer Danny O'Donoghue's musical partnership began in 1996 when they were both members of the moderately successful group MyTown. Hence as songwriters they have a long-established understanding.
"What we really hold strong to is what we both don't like," says Mark. "He knows what I hate and I know what he hates."
Rapport
Through knowing each other's dislikes they've built up a strong rapport. "When we play together it feels like it's one sound. We play in time so much that we are not just thinking about ourselves. We are thinking about the overall."
After the break-up of MyTown in 2001 Mark and Danny went off to North America to try their hands as songwriters and producers for hire. To their own surprise, they wound up working with R&B big hitters such as Dallas Austin, Montell Jordan and Teddy Riley.
"We are big R&B and hip-hop fans," admits Mark. "We're susceptible to anything that's good. We're open to many different styles. When we were writing for other artists in America we were writing on demand.
"As a struggling producer I would've remixed Old Macdonald Had a Farm, to be honest. (Equally] had somebody given me the budget and said, 'Give us what you like', I would have.
"When we finally got the opportunity to write for ourselves that's was what we thought was good. That's what The Script is. It's such a blessing to be able to do that now."
Now Mark, Danny and drummer Glen Power have 'broken' the USA in their own right, with their single Breakeven notching up a million sales.
"The US has taken us possibly 15 months to make any kind of damage there," says Mark. "We played in as many clubs and small pubs as we could. We knew what we had to do. We would carry our own gear; it was back to basics. For us it was really enjoyable. The love of music is first and foremost.
"Playing crappy clubs was nostalgic for us. Where bands struggle is the silly stuff they get into. You can't do that when you are setting yourself up for a new country. You have got to go back to square one."
To coincide with the release of Science and Faith, the band will be touring the UK in September. Though "very much a studio band in one respect", Mark says the road has its own appeal.
"All of us have separately also played a lot of clubs before The Script. Glen jokes he would once have played divorces.
"We are proud to walk out on any stage. Whatever you do goes hand in hand live. There's only you and your audience. No advertising or marketing can tamper with that. A live audience will let you know that."
Having twice played at Party in the Park ("it's an amazing event"), the band are looking forward to returning to Leeds. Given the chance, they'd like to sample some local hospitality.
"It's generally down to people at the place you are going to," Mark says. "Sometimes they want you to feel as much at home as possible. They bring you to local restaurants. Hopefully people in Leeds will be the same. They'll maybe take you to a pub and get you drunk.
"We're three Irishmen," he laughs, "what else are we going to do?"
Sep 12, Leeds O2 Academy, Cookridge Street, Leeds, 7pm, 22.50. Tel: 0844 477 2000. ww.ticketmaster.co.uk
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