The Script on...Love, loss and performing in JK's kitchen
Irish rock band The Script have teased a return to Belfast.
Speaking to John Kearns on Wednesday, the band exclusively hinted the release of tour dates in the not so distant future.
"We will have an announcement...we're talking about next week announcing some tour dates," said frontman Danny O'Donoghue.
The band last performed in Northern Ireland at Vital festival in 2015.
Lead guitarist Mark Sheehan joked he would consider performing a smaller show in JK's kitchen saying, "You know we just might."
Danny, Mark and drummer Glen Power are making a comeback with the first new single in three years. As Danny explains, the single has a different sound compared to what fans are familiar with:
"We call it soppy, we're probably the only people who can make it rain in the summer," Danny said.
"The record's only really a year in-the-making; it's been nearly two years since we've released something," he added.
Rain forms part of the band's new sound for 2017, with an album well on the way.
"It took us a little while to go into the studio and finish off this album, we wanted to show a bit of progression with the band...that times have changed and we're moving and we're growing as the industry changes, music ever evolves so hopefully we're the band that does the same," said guitarist Mark Sheehan.
Known for touching on emotional topics, the boys have made sure to stay true to their original material and say life experiences inspire their music:
"We tend to speak to humans and the human conditions," Danny said.
"It's always very emotional.
"We're very lyric orientated.
"The human condition never changes, love, loss, all of those different themes that we have, they're the same now as they will be in 50 years' time."
"The new material, even though the production might have changed or updated a little bit, it's still the same thing that we're talking about on top that rings true," he added.
The band took a break after their last tour, which saw them headlining Croke Park. Glen said the gruelling schedule took its toll on their personal lives:
"We decided that, if we're going to go into a next album, it would be nice to live life for a little bit, see family and do normal things that we hadn't been able to do for a while.
"We came back really reenergised and focused to make a record."