Joining the Take That circus - Business24/7 - 13.12.08

by **Leannesg1986** Sun Dec 14, 2008 7:03 am

http://www.business24-7.ae/articles/2008/12/pages/12132008_75f69b4e04be4ea58b40e0920ce199bd.aspx

"We want the boys. We want the boys."

The phrase is repeated over and over by a group of girls, complete with whistles, cheers and screams.

They're at London's St Pancras station to see Take That, who are about to leave for Paris where they'll launch their new album The Circus to the assembled European media. I'm lucky enough to be going with them. Before that can happen, however, there's the small matter of the hundreds of fans gathered to catch a glimpse of them to deal with.

"We want the boys. We want the boys," continues the chant.

When Gary, Mark, Jason and Howard finally do stroll across the concourse, Kings Cross station goes wild with even more screams. The workmen high up in the rafters, down tools for a few minutes to take photos and shout a few comedy "I love you Gary's down below".

The funny thing is, deep down, the burly builders probably mean it. This is a band that cuts across demographics in its appeal. "There's a huge amount of love out there for the band," says Rudy Osorio, head of music at market-leading retailer HMV. "And they have such broad appeal. It makes the album the perfect family gift."

Dressed in uniform grey and black; Howard in rock star shades, Mark wearing a hat, they look more comfortable with their success than they ever did first time around.

Aside from their dapper styling, however, the first thing to strike you about the foursome as they come into view is that they're not boys any more, whatever the fans are shouting. Even Mark Owen, the band's youngest member, is now 36. But neither are the hardcore fans here today girls. They too are in their 30s, most of them office workers on a quick break to come and see their idols.

Since reforming in 2005 and later releasing Beautiful World, Take That have re-established themselves as one of Britain's biggest bands.

Their comeback tour, hot on the heels of the ITV documentary that kick-started the reunion, sold out in a matter of minutes. More recently, the band sold around 600,000 tickets for their 2009 summer tour in less than five hours, breaking the record set by Michael Jackson's Bad tour in 1987. The group added more dates and has now sold a total of 700,000 tickets for its 14 stadium shows.

The Circus, their new album, is, at the time of writing, one the fastest-selling album of the year, shifting a massive 133,000 copies in the UK on the first day of sale. That's double what The Killers sold the previous Monday. They're currently outselling Britney's Spears' similarly titled new album five copies to one.

The album has been released worldwide, except in France where it hits stores in February and in the United States.

The first single from the album, Greatest Day, debuted at No1 last month. It's the group's 11th No1, a tally topped only by the Beatles (17) and Irish boy band Westlife (14).

The original incarnation, featuring Robbie Williams, split in 1996. Universal Music UK chairman/CEO David Joseph, who signed the re-formed act to the company's Polydor label, attributes Take That's success to its desire not to just rehash its old sound.

On the previous album, 2006's Beautiful World, "the whole approach was to make them sound like they would if the band had been making records for the previous 10 years", he says. "Now they can afford to take a creative risk knowing that they look and sound like a supergroup."

Beautiful World went on to outsell all of the band's previous albums in the United Kingdom, providing 2.5 million of a career sales total of 6.1 million units.

It seems nothing, not even a global recession, can stop Take That.

"It feels a bit different this time, with this second album," ponders Mark, talking to me in their own carriage on the Eurostar train en route to France. The boys are just done with their snaps for the photographers and a whole lot of posing and waving for the crazed fans.

"It's not because we've seen the sales figures of the last record and think 'Now we're back' or anything like that, it's more that we all feel different," he adds. "We still get nervous, still want to do well and know full well there are no guarantees, but we all feel much more part of the band than before."

The Circus was recorded partly in London, and partly in LA. While in the US, the band spent a lot of time with Williams. "It was great to be able to see him," says Mark. "It's brilliant that we're all friends again."

During Take That's first reign over the charts, lead singer Gary Barlow was very much the main man, writing nearly all of their 17 singles – including eight No 1 hits.

Since they got back together, the quartet have shared writing duties and, as proven on The Circus, get to sing a bit more as well. Of the album's 12 tracks, Mark sings four songs and Howard two. Jason gets one and Gary sings the rest.

They're more of a band than they ever were. "We didn't know how long we were going to be together for when we made Beautiful World," says Mark.

"We might have sold 10 copies and disappeared. Now, at least we know we'll be around until next July when the tour finished. We can plan as far forward as that."

Last week, Mark celebrated the birth of daughter Willow Rose, his second child with long-term partner Emma Forrester. He can't stop smiling when he's talking about his family.

Any girls listening to him can't stop smiling either.

The phrase 'He's so cute' and 'He was always my favourite' are used at least a dozen times during our train journey by passing females.

Fast forward a few hours, and conversation once again turns to his new family. "It's just the most amazing thing ever. Willow being born last week is just incredible," he says.

The band have just come off stage after an intimate performance in a Paris nightclub. In keeping with the circus theme, stilt-walkers, fire-eaters and jugglers mingle among the candy floss and toffee apple stalls. Singing six songs – new single Greatest Day, Shine, Patience, Rule The World and new songs Up All Night and Julie – Take That are on fine form. "That was great, that, wasn't it," beams Gary later at the ensuing party. Despite being a multi-millionaire, Gary's feet remain firmly on the ground. He goes on to praise all the people that work at his record company who've made it possible and the fans for supporting them for such a long time.

"And they knew all the words, even the new songs. The power of the internet, eh," he adds. "Or do you reckon they've been at home all day learning the words?" It may sound cliched – absolutely everyone says what nice guys he, Mark, Jason and Howard are – but that's because it really is true.

How many other bands can you think of who, after playing a small gig to select fans and journalists, would hang around for hours afterwards, posing for hundreds of photographs, signing autographs, chatting to anyone and everyone. "I've got some interviews at 8.30am tomorrow, but I'll be fine," says yoga fan Jason Orange, who spends most of his time at the party dancing energetically.

"Today this could be, the greatest day of our lives," opens their current chart-topping single, and judging by the way the lads are enjoying themselves, it seems quite apt.

But, with a record-breaking tour to their name and The Circus on target to sell more than a million copies before Christmas, perhaps another song title of theirs is more fitting.

How about Back For Good?