If you woke up today singing, "I need my current location to be your current location... Fly back to me, come back to me, and stay with me," it might bring you some comfort to know that you are not alone in experiencing major LANY withdrawal. For fans of the band, the past weekend was all about tracking Paul Klein, Jake Goss, and Les Priest as they toured Manila and performed in five (!!!) Ayala Malls. You know how Filipinos are when it comes to artists we love so bad—just watch this warm, deafening welcome, and please accept the highest of fives if you were part of this massive crowd.
It's giving us flashbacks to LANY's insane set at Wanderland, their first time performing in Manila. "We weren't headlining that festival, but it felt like it," says Paul. "We've played in quite a few festivals where nobody was there for us, so that was very cool. We started with 'yea, babe, no way,' and for everyone to know the words to the first verse... We had no idea how amazing and invested the Filipino fans were."
That's because it's impossible not to invest in a band that pours everything into their music, from the honest, raw words carved out of crushed hearts, to the cry-dance-y beats created through teamwork and cool accidents (exhibit A: the volume up sound in "quit"), to the simple yet striking visuals that complete the experience. (You can't see a red rose without thinking of LANY, can you?)
"We're always so blown away by how engaged our fans are and how much they care. They get excited over the little things," says Paul. "That makes it fun for us as well because we do work pretty hard. We're always trying to push ourselves to come up with the best ideas even outside of songs, whether it's merch or cool ideas to engage our fans. When those little things are noticed and appreciated, that makes us feel really good."
Paul adds, "We give more than 100 percent in every show. I'm always trying to throw myself to the crowd or establish some sort of physical, intimate connection with as many people as possible. We don’t have a lot to give—I can't throw my keyboard to the crowd—but hopefully what we can give you is something you'll never forget, like an amazing set."
Talking about their young fans (a.k.a. Candy Girls and Boys!), Paul says, "We have a lot of people looking up to us, and we don't take that lightly. We always try to conduct ourselves in the most responsible, respectful way. I hope that with the people who look up to us, we could kind of lead the way and introduce them to new sounds and concepts. But we're definitely not changing the music that we make to fit a certain demographic. The young people aren't more important than the older crowd, or vice versa—we're just pumped that people, in general, are listening to us."
We have a lot of people looking up to us, and we don't take that lightly. We always try to conduct ourselves in the most responsible, respectful way.
What's your favorite memory from #LANYLiveAtAyalaMalls? Share your thoughts below!
From The Candy Bulletin Community
