“You hope that people take your piece of art and make it mean something to them and make it part of their life”
Most teenagers will go through a phase where they fall completely head over heels in love with a band or musician. You’re 15/16 and all you care about is this band, whether it was Westlife, Busted, or One Direction, you were completely obsessed and hopelessly dedicated to them. It started with Beatle Mania and never really stopped.
Some of us were mad about Wham and had posters of George Michael covering our bedroom walls. Most of us went through a Westlife or McFly phase. But one band that still has a hold over many Irish people is Take That, no matter how much the line-up changes.
The band spoke exclusively to Her.ie about their new movie Greatest Days, the meaning behind the film, and how much they love playing in Ireland.
Greatest Days is a feel-good and universal story of love and friendship featuring the hit songs of Take That. In the movie, we follow five best friends who have the night of their lives seeing their favourite boy band in concert.
Twenty-five years later their lives have changed in many different ways as they reunite for one more epic show by their beloved band, to relight their friendship and discover that maybe their greatest days are ahead of them.
“One band that still has a hold over many Irish people is Take That”
Speaking about the inspiration behind the movie, Gary Barlow said he wanted to give back to their loyal fans. He told Her.ie: “You hope that people take your piece of art and make it mean something to them and make it part of their life. When we started looking at this story, we didn’t want to just tell our story and our journey, but we wanted to show people what we’ve been seeing for the last 30 years… our audience. Why don’t we celebrate them?”
“I hope it makes people feel 16 again. I hope people it makes them remember a couple of friends and call them up after seeing it. He added, “I hope it gives them some great memories because music is so wonderful at marking time.”
“You can be taken back to a place, a time, or a friend and I hope this movie inspires a little bit of that in somebody.”
The movie may feature a string of Take That songs but Howard Donald said you don’t need to be a fan of theirs to enjoy it. You can be a fan of any group and will see yourself in this movie, the singer said.
One thing the band is certain of is their return to Ireland. The trio couldn’t help but gush about how special Irish crowds are and will to return in the very near future.
“I don’t think we could ever do live shows without going to Ireland. It is one of the best places to go and the crowds are absolutely incredible,” Howard said.
Gary added, “Next year, we’re definitely coming to Ireland. I did a gig in Killarney a few years ago and we have to go to the West of Ireland. It is just so beautiful. Scotland and Ireland are always the best audiences. We’ll be in Ireland next year, we promise ya!”
Greatest Days is out in cinemas across Ireland now.
