THIS month marks 20 years since Westlife’s self- titled debut album sparked their incredible career as one of Ireland’s biggest musical exports.
But after almost a decade without a record, Kian Egan, Shane Filan, Nicky Byrne and Markus Feehily have pulled off an unlikely comeback with their new album Spectrum, which is now outselling the rest of the top ten combined.
Following its release on Friday, it shifted a mammoth 50,000 copies in its first three days on sale and this week is on course to be their first No1 in 12 years.
And with their biggest UK stadium tour to date scheduled for next year, they now have their sights set on breaking the US too.
Joining me at Bizarre HQ in London yesterday to talk about the reaction to their new music, Shane said: “It has been quality. And all the stuff now, like getting to play Wembley Stadium for the first time, that’s serious bucket-list stuff for us.
“When we play it next August it’s going to be packed. It’s going to be one of those career- defining moments. Then we will be like, what’s the next goal?
“I think for us, it’s to do it at that level everywhere. I think America is definitely somewhere we want to go and it’s something that we have talked about a lot recently.
“It’s something that we would love to achieve as a band. Until we actually put on a concert in New York, that will be another milestone moment for us. And I think it’s possible.”
Last year the lads told me how they had also been working on a documentary about their return to music. But that has been put on hold following BROS’s horrifying 2018 film After The Screaming Stops, which detailed many of the Goss brothers’ rows, and put the Westlife lads off the idea.
Mark said: “I think we would still like for more people to see what goes on behind the scenes. But I think it would have to be done right. We couldn’t just hand any director a backstage pass and go, ‘Do your best,’ because we could be misrepresented or whatever.”
Kian added: “I enjoyed watching the Bros documentary for all of the wrong reasons. I would hate that documentary to be about us.”
Nicky continued: “I’ve had arguments with the lads and vice versa and we’ve gone on stage and hugged each other and the fans have known no different. Then we’ve walked out and not spoken for another week. But you come around to it.”
But that doesn’t mean they are keen to have their arguments played out on camera for everyone to see. Mark added: “That stuff in the Bros documentary goes on in every band and you’re lying if you say it doesn’t.
“But you just don’t necessarily put it on camera. We’re more traditional in that sense. We genuinely get on very well but of course there are times when not everyone sees everything exactly the same. But we’re more traditional and keep all of that off the stage.”
There should be no need to worry about any screaming matches this time around though.
Kian said: “The gospel truth is, the only time we ever argued, it was never personal things like dislike for each other, but it was through the decision-making process. We actually haven’t had an argument since we got back together.”
And long may it stay that way.
Macca’s up for Glasto
THE last time I was this excited was when my local pub extended its opening hours. Paul McCartney has confirmed he will headline Glastonbury next June.
The festival’s Twitter account yesterday announced The Beatles legend will be performing on the Pyramid Stage for its 50th anniversary Saturday evening slot.
Ahead of the official confirmation, Sir Paul tweeted a picture of Philip Glass, Emma Stone and Chuck Berry — to create a clue for Glastonbury by combining their surnames. Clever.
He later said: “Hey Glasto – excited to be part of your anniversary celebrations. See ya next summer!”
Organiser Emily Eavis added: “IT’S REAL!! So excited.. Having Paul McCartney coming back to headline the Pyramid next year is an absolute dream come true.
“There really was no one that we wanted more for the 50th anniversary.”
I can’t think of anything better than belting out Hey Jude in that field.
WrestleLife at lads’ hotel
THE band have revealed they have an unlikely hobby while on the road – late-night wrestling. Recalling what went down after the shows on this summer’s reunion tour, Mark said: “There were one or two crazy nights.
“Sometimes we would end up getting literally locked into one of our hotel suites and we ended up, not destroying it or anything like that, but there could be wrestling matches.
“It’s a very friendly, gentlemanly wrestling – we aren’t pulling the eyes out of each other’s heads or anything like that. Nobody gets hurt.
“There might be a scrape or two. It’s not a vicious wrestling, it’s like a clean wrestling match.”
But when I asked if Westlife wrestling matches could be something they do on the side, he added: “No, it definitely won’t be.”
Their nights on tour across Asia were the wildest though, as they insisted on being up all night to stay in the Irish time zone.
Shane said: “We got to have lots of down time and we were going for dinners and for a few drinks, playing pool until 5am in Indonesia.
“We got to have a lot of fun together as lads again and get to know each other again.”
Kian: Hunger is driving force
KIAN, who was named King Of The Jungle in 2013, has explained why stars are always more than eager to tuck into the dodgy food served up in the Bushtucker Trials.
He said: “You’re absolutely starving in there all the time. So it is no wonder you eat whatever comes in front of you, you’re so hungry. Kangaroo testicle is like, ‘happy days!’ It’s a bit of food. I just remember the crunch and the pop.”
After watching this year’s launch show Kian knows what it takes to win and is tipping footie pundit Ian Wright to take the crown.
Kian said: “If you’re not yourself, you’re caught out. It’s a simple as that. People who go in and try and be like, ‘Oh I’m going to do this for the camera,’ they can’t keep that up, especially when you’re starved, it’s a psychological challenge.”
Gaga’s fresh posey
LADY GAGA’s love life is looking more and more like a case of always the bridesmaid, never the bride. The Bad Romance singer was exactly that at her best friend Sarah Tanno’s wedding in Mexico at the weekend.
MOST READ IN BIZARRE
She posed in a pink dress with matching hair while showing off the flowers like she’d just caught them off the bride.
Unfortunately for her, a wedding doesn’t look likely any time soon after she split from recent boyfriend Dan Horton who she started dating six months after she and fiancé Christian Carino went their separate ways in February.
Surely there was an eligible bachelor at the do who could’ve swept Gaga off her feet.
bizmeter
- KANYE West has discovered something he hasn’t yet done – an opera. But he is now rectifying that, with the rapper announcing his first ever take on the genre, titled Nebuchadnezzar. It is named after the longest-reigning king of ancient Babylon and will be staged at the LA’s Hollywood Bowl this Sunday.
- GOBBY Liam Gallagher has accused brother Noel of trying to shut down his Twitter after he claimed every tweet is “another nail in the coffin” for an Oasis reunion. He said: “So news reaches me that team NG are trying to get me shut down coz they don’t like my tweets – good luck you little fart. C’mon you know.”
- J-LO has claimed she wasn’t even paid to play a stripper in recent movie Hustlers. She said: “I do things because I love them. I didn’t get paid a whole bunch of money for Hustlers. I did it for free and produced it. I bank on myself. That’s the Jenny From The Block. I do what I want, I do what I love.”
- JAMES Blunt is now favourite for Christmas No1 after I launched my Back Blunty campaign. Sky Bet has his Monsters single at 4/1, with proceeds going to Help for Heroes. He’s ahead of Robbie Williams, Adele and Ed Sheeran. The singer joked: “Mariah’s gonna be pi***d at this.”
- GOT a story? RING The Sun on 0207 782 4104 or WHATSAPP on 07423720250 or EMAIL exclusive@the-sun.co.uk