Last weekend I joined the ranks of girls who, back in 2004, ran straight to the peroxide to dye five colours in their hair when the UK had a new band to fall in love with. Yes, for an unexpected SEVENTH time I found myself scaling the steps of the M.E.N Arena to see McFly.
Well, it was amazing. Just as expected really. Every time I see them perform they manage to get better and better and then better some more.
However, boosting the ego of an already ridiculously popular group is not what I’m concerned with. My real gripe is with the unfortunate fact that, even after five albums and 8 million records sold, these boys still don’t get the credit they deserve.
In the days leading up the gig, any time I was prompted to discuss my McFly related plans, I was met by scoffs, ‘Aren’t you twenty?’s and well; ‘They’re crap’s.
At school, when my obsession with Tom, Danny, Dougie and Harry began, I wouldn’t tell a soul about my shameful love for the band. I can even remember lying about who my favourite musician was and probably naming some obscure band, just so I could grasp at any ounce of already nonexistent credibility I had as a teenager.
It wasn’t until I got to college that I found another human being in my social circle that didn’t turn their nose up at them, allowing me to openly admit when I was going to see them or when I had bought a gay man’s magazine with their faces on. I can imagine it would have been different had not the majority of my friends been boys.
McFly are often mistakenly described as a boyband. Well, this may just be my nineties mindset, but boybands to me have always been about; cheesy dance routines, matching outfits and dodgy haircuts (Nick Carter and his lovely blonde curtains anyone?).
Yet these guys don’t seem to fit the criteria. For starters, instead of pumping out songs about Dirty Pop (Great song by the way) they write all of their own music and play their own instruments, demonstrating genuine talent. There are no linear dance sequences or ‘power grabbing’ either. No, these guys genuinely own the stage; bouncing round, awesome vocals and sometimes a little bit of added nudity (Which we’re all very thankful for by the way).
See, I think it’s the male population that are the biggest critics of this band. Fair enough, they may not cater to their tastes and you would be hard pushed to find a male McFly audience member that wasn’t either madly in love with them or an unfortunate tag along boyfriend, but questioning their talent is just an uneducated and childish response.
Most of the time, I put it down to jealousy with the male-haters. I often wonder; if McFly were to become... unfortunate looking for a day (And what a sad day that would be), would guys see them any differently? The thing is I’ve often played McFly songs in playlists alongside the likes of Kids in Glass Houses and to be honest, there isn’t that much difference. Image, is the main issue here. Truthfully, McFly’s sound is a lot more mature than a lot of other pop rock that gets churned out clothed in Famous Stars and Straps.
One thing I really respect McFly for is their decision to detach themselves from their record deal before their fourth album. They knew they were being pushed in the wrong direction and were being forced to compromise their own musical tastes. You can really see this change in their album, Radioactive, produced under their own label, Super Records. When I first heard Song for the Radio, I could hear the difference. Still McFly but with a bigger emphasis on 'We don't care!' and a Green Day element to the guitars, a band that the boys have said to be a big musical influence. To remove themselves from such a successful deal and at such a young age surely deserves some sort of round of applause at least?
I think a lot of McFly’s appeal comes from their personalities too, after all they’re just four, twenty-something boys on the more successful scale of making music and hanging out. You don’t ever see them falling out of London clubs like the rest of the pop circuit. They seem to understand that they have a pretty sweet deal at the minute and are smart enough to realise that any scandal could ruin their monumental success. For that I credit them.
I’m a massive fan of McFly (If that wasn’t obvious by now) and it’s not all down to their looks, even though, it is a very pleasant bonus. They’re true to themselves, they’re fun and they’re just the most amazing guys when it comes to their fans. Anyone that wants to dislike McFly, well that’s fine. I don’t expect everyone to love them, I just think that it’s pretty darn ignorant to deny their musical talent and the work they put into all they do. I highly doubt there are many young musicians that wouldn’t give their right arm to be in McFly. Besides, if it’s good enough for Courtney Love who argues, ‘Who says McFly are a boy band? That’s insane. Those guys slam,’ then it’s good enough for me.
Love L x
(P.S Ooh and I'm going to see them again tonight!)
