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Latest Westlife News note: thanks to the following websites for providing some of the news items found on this site - Worldpop | MTVasia | dotMusic | The Sun | BBC | WENN | Agnes =) If you want to share your positive concert experiences, feel free to send it to us at westlife@previewstock.com and we will post it on this site and share it with other Westlife fans. Please include the date/concert venue that you attended. Also send any Westlife news we might have missed to that address above! The Westlife news archives can be found at the bottom of the page Westlife
in Sao Paulo, Brazil 5/21/02 Westlife may miss #1 spot Unconfirmed reports
are currently saying that sales of Westlife's "Bop Bop Baby"
may give the boys their lowest chart position yet...and that would be
due to Eminem's "Without Me". HMV's
PR man, Gennaro Castaldo, was unable to discuss actual sales, due to recent
industry restrictions which aim to keep the UK's midweek figures top secret.
However, he did predict that both Westlife and Eminem would fare well
on the chart that comes out on May 26th. Castaldo said, "Westlife
usually sell around 100, 000 in their first week which is enough to give
them a No.1. But with the expectation of Eminem's release, he could beat
them to it." 5/21/02 Watch Westlife online on Sunday BTopenworld is broadcasting
the first ever webcast of the annual music industry Soccer Sixes tournament
- which takes place this Sunday (May 26) at Chelsea FC's Stamford Bridge.
Players include: Ant and Dec, Blur, Rod Stewart, Blue, Westlife, Dane
Bowers, Hear'Say, 3SL, Mis-teeq & Liberty X. Proceeds from the event
are going to support 'Help a London Child' and also 'The Samaritans'.
Dotmusic has been giving away free tickets to the event at http://www.dotmusic.com/competitions/six/ Shane stuck as well Apparently, Kian wasn't
the only one stuck on a high wire. Shane got stuck 40 feet in the air
during the concert in Rotterdam, Holland. He was stranded next to the
roof of the venue when the operating system which was supposed to carry
him down to the stage jammed. Nicky said, "The funny thing was, the
intro was starting up and Shane was supposed to sing the first verse.
But we couldn't even see him. The next thing we know, Shane's voice is
singing out over the sound system. He's hanging from the roof and still
singing the song. What a guy, eh?" Westlife plagued by zealous fans Fans are great, but
Westlife wish that they would have their privacy sometimes. The boys have
been plagued by girls who book at the same hotels that they stay at and
then camp outside their door. Mark said, "You're locked in the room,
trapped, and they're outside your door, screaming. The worst thing is
that when you ask them to stop, they'll say things like, 'But we're your
fans!'" Westlife battles a tobacco firm Sometimes you have to wonder about companies and their profit motive. Here's one which I would term quite frivolous. Westlife's plans to produce their own range of clothes and posters are being held up after a cigarette firm protested that the brand would be to close to the company's trademark on "West" cigarettes. Give me a break. Westlife's application for a trademark has been opposed by a Hamburg-based company (Reemark Gesellschaft fur Marken Kooperation Mbh) that makes West cigarettes. The company firm feels there could easily be confusion over the supposed similarity between the names and argues that people might wrongly assume Westlife is an offshoot of West (who would be stupid enough to think that?...plus west is a common English word) The European patent attorney Reiner Prietsh, who represents the boys, says, "Both parties have put forward their arguments and the appeal board will make a decision in two months." (U.S.) Westlife's Close on WB network Thanks to a few fans who have reported hearing "Close" as the closing song to the finale of the WB Network show "Maybe It's Me" (at a prom night/dance). The show was broadcast about two weeks ago. Bryan: Westlife are "above average" Bryan has declared that Westlife are an "above average" band and claimed their defunct pop rivals, Steps, Five and Boyzone, weren't very talented. Speaking to Q magazine, he boasted: "It's pretty obvious that we are above average. I would never try to convince you that Westlife is a credible band, but we do have a talent - and that talent is singing. All those other bands - Steps, Five, Boyzone - split up because they were never any good, but also because they hated each other. Boyzone was a perfect case in point: Ronan had the voice, the personality, the looks. No wonder there was tension - the others couldn't compete. In Westlife, we can all sing and we all have the look!" Kian concurs saying
that he is "f***ing sick" of people thinking that they're are
just another pop band and even compared his outfit to rockers-du-jour,
The Strokes. "I'm a rock fan. I listen to Metallica and Faith No
More. I play a mean electric guitar. When people come to see us in concert,
they leave pleasantly surprised. Watch us tonight, and you'll realise
that it's not just The Strokes who put on a good show." Bryan and Kerry Bryan was back together with Kerry at a charity football match in Liverpool. It was the first time they have been pictured together since Bryan's infidelities appeared in the press. NME's mysterious
critique of Bop Bop Baby "Only a cretin slags off ‘manufactured’ pop nowadays - chiefly because we all know the pocket money wooed from the purses of little girls by blandly attractive teen dreamboats props up the career of all your floundering indie faves. All the same, there’s something spectrally chilling about the unshakable sway that Westlife have over our nation’s youth. Make no mistake, this
band are the absolute nadir of the pop genre and music as a whole. And
however many times you wade through the utterly meritless saccharine slurry
of ‘Bop Bop Baby’, you still get that terrifying sensation of
staring into the void, and having the void stare blankly back at you,
then calling for security to maim you for staring at it. Even All Tomorrow’s
Parties had more tunes than this." An elderly Westlife fan =) Grandmother Olive Keeley is boy band Westlife's biggest fan..at the age of 82! And last night (Thurs May 16) her dream came true when she finally saw her idols in the flesh. Olive, of Elm Avenue, Radcliffe, not only had VIP seats at the Irish group's MEN arena concert, but also got to meet the boys beforehand! The unforgettable experience had come about thanks to her daughter, Josie. "She lives in Corfu and she got talking to the man who designs Westlife's's stage sets," said Olive who is pictured with her Westlife posters and CDs. "She told him all about me being a fan of the group and he sorted it all out for me. I'm so happy." Olive first became a fan when she heard I Have A Dream, one of the group's early hits, on the radio. "My husband, Joe, went all over the place tracking it down for me. When he died I had it played at his funeral." Since then Olive has
bought every CD and video that Westlife have released, and she even has
posters of them up in her living room. "My friends think I'm crackers,
but I don't care. Westlife keep me going." Review: World of
Our Own 2002 World tour at MEN Arena. Westlife smashed their way out of miniature globes in a spectacular opening to their gig. And for 90 minutes last night the massive Irish five-piece group took the North-west by storm. Thousands of feverish female fans packed the MEN Arena to sing and dance long into the night. They almost threatened to drown out singers Bryan McFadden, Kian Eagan, Shane Filan, Nicky Byrne and Mark Feehily, whose show was slick but also refreshingly human. An appearance by one of the lads on the huge screens which hung over the hexagonal stage prompted a wave of screams and whistle-blowing. But far from becoming big-headed, the five members appeared to enjoy the show as much as the audience. It is all so easy to have a pop at Westlife, a boyband which, on the surface, does little to distinguish itself from its peers. Ex-Boyzone singer Ronan Keating managed the lads back in their early days, taking them through many of the basics. But, like any good students, they surpassed their teacher and went on to become one of the most successful boybands of all time. They play generic pop, driven mainly by sex appeal, and there's little doubt the group would not have enjoyed such success if it had been made up of spotty sixth form oiks. Yet that would be missing the point because, for all the pretty boy jibes, these guys are high on talent. That much was in evidence when they belted out fantastic renditions of classic songs from the 60s and 70s such as Elvis's 'Jailhouse Rock' and Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody'. Hits such as 'World Of Our Own', 'Flying Without Wings' and 'When You're Looking Like That' vibrated fantastically through the arena. Best of all, each song was sung live, whether the boys were running around or spinning on ropes about five metres above the heads of the screaming girls. There were fireworks, there were set pieces, there were moments when it wasn't just about the music. But when the group put their vocal talents to the test, they surpassed the expectations of even the harshest of critics. And for that reason, it's not hard to see why they keep selling out, gig after gig. SETLIST World Of Our Own Xmas single? Vinnie Jones teams up with Westlife. Vinnie (who was last seen in the Bop Bop Baby video) will be releasing a Christmas single with Westlife...according to The Sun. The song will be the first release off an album of duets where Vinnie sings with DENISE VAN OUTEN, BILLIE PIPER and others. His manager said: “They got talking about it during the video. Westlife are up for it and Vinnie can’t wait. Let’s just say he’s got a very unique voice.” A source close to
Westlife said: “The lads had a right laugh with Vinnie and reckon
they’re on for another Christmas No1.” Charity tournament at Anfield Last Sunday, former Man United and England captain Bryan Robson joined Westlife in a five-a-side charity tournament. Nicky's profile
in German Nicky ist gläubiger Katholik und betet jeden Abend, bevor er zu Bett geht! Er ist seit langem glücklich mit seiner Freundin zusammen: Georgina Ahern - die Tochter des irischen Präsidenten! Seine Traumfrau ist: elegant, klug, humorvoll und muss schöne Augen haben! Die erste Single,
die sich Nicky gekauft hat, war "I Should Be So Lucky" von Kylie
Minogue! An seinem rechten
Ellenbogen hat Nicky eine kleine Narbe.
5/11/02 How Bryan's Infidelities Got To the Press We've heard all about Bryan and that lap dancer got it on. Now comes how that story made it into the press despite attempts to cover up the incident. Max Clifford has become embroiled in a row with the Sunday People editor, Neil Wallis, after the paper negotiated a deal that broke a confidentiality clause set up by the publicist to protect one of his clients, Bryan, from a tabloid exposé. Mr Clifford hit out at Wallis following the publication of a story about a lap dancer and Bryan in the Sunday People. The man behind many of the most notorious tabloid scoops of the past 20 years said he was "disappointed" and his relationship with Wallis had been "destroyed" when the paper ran the story after a confidentiality agreement had been drawn up between the lap dancer and Bryan's's management. Mr. Clifford said he planned to protest to the Law Society, although what grounds he would have for the complaint are unclear. He said, "I've done a lot of things with Neil. It's probably not terminal but I don't want to do any deals with the Sunday People at the moment." Bryan reportedly had a one-night stand with lap dancer Amy Barker just weeks before his wedding to Kerry. Amy was paid £15,000 by Westlife's management, through Clifford, to keep the story quiet for the rest of her life. A further £1,000 was paid to Jeffrey Green Russell solicitors, again through Mr. Clifford, for advising Amy on the confidentiality agreement. But last week Amy's story appeared in the Sunday People, sparking a flurry of follow-up stories about the pop star's marriage. According to Mr. Clifford, Jeffrey Green Russell solicitor Stuart Nuttall, who drew up the confidentiality agreement, also advised Amy on the sale of her story to the newspaper. A Jeffrey Green Russell partner confirmed that Nuttall had advised Amy on both contracts and said he had acted on Amy's instructions at all times. Jeffrey Green Russell said it did not have any duty to Mr Clifford because he was not a client of the firm. Mr. Clifford, who clashed with journalist Louis Theroux in a recent edition of his BBC programme, When Louis Met..., has had working relationships with the tabloids and particularly the Sunday red tops for years. He has furnishing them with many of their best scoops. "I'm known for breaking stories but the reality is that I keep far more out of the papers," he said. He added that the editor of the News of the World, Rebekah Wade, and the Sunday Mirror, Tina Weaver, had already turned down the McFadden story. A partner at Jeffrey Green Russell refused to comment on the details of the agreement. "I can't confirm what our role was, except to say that Max Clifford wasn't our client," said a partner at the firm. Wallis was unavailable for comment. What the *? This seems to be a bit contradictory here. Mark is quoted as saying, ""I know it sounds daft coming from someone in Westlife, but I want to see more originality in the charts. There needs to be more variety. There are too many of one type of artist and not much of the other. I think it's too lop-sided at the moment." Well actually I'd have to agree with the too much pop phenomenon in the UK. After all you've got the Popstars and the Pop Idols and who knows what else is lurking. And it's all manufactured. Westlife supports
Bryan thru crisis Westlife have closed ranks around Bryan after the leaks in the tabloid. The Irish band were meant to answer questions in a British tabloid newspaper but Bryan pulled out when the storm over his private life broke. Asked what the band would do if a member was caught in a kiss and tell wrangle band member NICKY BYRNE said, "We'd call our families and make sure they knew about it first. It's better to just ignore it. It's news today but it's gone tomorrow." Bryan Says His Marriage is OK Speaking to ShowBizIreland.com from the UK where the band are currently on a sell out tour with the Irish Popstars SIX, Bryan admitted Kerry had flown to meet him after the lap dancer story was published. But there was not even one bit of truth that their marriage was in trouble. "Myself and Kerry
are more in love then ever. She did fly to the UK to see me. But, Kerry
is always back and forward to me and our daughter, Molly when she is filming.
We are not splitting up or anything of the sort. She has flown back now
to finish her TV show in the Bahamas. After that she is going to film
in Las Vegas. Then she will fly to Mauritius to finish filming. Then she
is flying back to Molly and me. She will join me on tour with Westlife
until we travel back to Dublin on June 6th in the Point." Ronan Keating on the state of pop music Ronan, Westlife's former manager on paper, says that pop music just isn't as good as it was, and thinks that Westlife are currently the ones flying the flag for the much-criticised genre. He said, "Pop isn't as good as it used to be. Back in the 90's, Take That were a fantastic pop band. And when you look at the 80's pop movement like Duran Duran, they had great pop songs. I think the whole Pop Idol stuff has diluted what we do. A lot of people say my stuff is not great but I think they're good pop songs." While Ronan's not been shy about what he thinks about groups like Hear'Say, he only has nice things to say about Westlife, the band he managed in name only. "I like Westlife. I like what they're doing, I think they make great pop records. They're talented. Bryan's a great songwriter. Bop Bop Baby's a great pop song." And advice for the
boys on when to call it quits? He said, "The best thing for any band
is to end on top, it's sad to see any band fade away, but it's up to them.
As long as they keep bringing out good records, there'll always be people
to buy those records." Ronan should know. Boyzone ended with a #1
in November 2000...and called it quits. Disney Channel Kids Awards nominations The show will take place on October 12 at London's Docklands Arena. Westlife are up for 2 nominations: Best Male Group / Artist and Act of the Year. Best Male Group /
Artist Act Of The Year Listen to Nicky's Worldcup song Written by Dublin group A-House, "Here Comes the Good Times" was simply never the hit it deserved to be. The Good Times will indeed be here again, and this time they'll have the perfect soundtrack. The team along with Mick McCarthy, Nicky Byrne from Westlife, Aslan's Christy Dignam, Dustin the Turkey and a couple of surprise guests got together to record the track. Due for release on May 10th the single will be in aid of Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children in Crumlin, with Warner Music Ireland pledging €30,000 to the Hospital. http://www.2fm.ie/entertainment/worldcup.html Bryan's apology Bryan said, "I'm
really sorry for what happened. I was such an idiot. Kerry and I sat down
together and talked about everything. She went mad and I don't blame her
but we've promised to put it behind us and get on with our lives. I'm
so lucky having Kerry and our daughter Molly. Kerry has been very undersanding
and I'm so lucky to have a wife like that. I'll never put anyone through
this hurt ever again. We will get through this and carry on being a happy
family.' And this recent interview is in German...so um, if you can read German, enjoy =) Westlife: Bryan gibt
alles zu, Mark frisch verliebt! Westlife-Bryan hat
alles zugegeben: Das Gerücht, er hätte an seinem Junggesellenabend
'ne Affäre mit einer Stripperin gehabt, ist tatsächlich wahr!
Zwar hat seine Frau Kerry ihm diesen "Ausrutscher" verziehen,
aber seitdem hängt bei der Familie McFadden der Haussegen gewaltig
schief. Vor allem Kerry macht gerade eine verdammt schwere Zeit durch. 5/04/02 Westlife goes to Oxford Westlife have announced that they will be speaking at Oxford University's famed Debating Society next month. The groups will be quizzed by students as to what it's like being the greatest pop group ever. The boys are said to be looking forward to the event. Other music stars to come before the group include Michael Jackson, Phil Collins and Jon Bon Jovi. Bryan admits, Kerry forgives ...at least for the press. Ah, the shocker that came true. In the end, we have a marriage that has been ripped apart in public, a daughter innocently caught in the middle, and a lap dancer that isn't worth ****. Sadly, some people sell out for anything. I'd hate to be associated with those type of people. That's it for my opinions. Here's the story as written by the UK media. The stories are in reverse chronological order. Kerry forgives 5/3 - Former Atomic Kitten Kerry Katona is back on the Las Vegas set of her new dating show after a whirlwind trip to the UK to work out her marriage difficulties with husband Bryan McFadden. The newlyweds, whose relationship is in crisis after an exotic dancer revealed she’d had a stag night tryst with the 22-year-old Westlife singer, have decided to work out their problems for the sake of their baby daughter Molly. “Bryan knows he’s done wrong,” Kerry, 21, told British newspaper the Daily Mirror. “but we’re going to try and put it all behind us.” Though the former pop singer was crushed by the infidelity bombshell – “This is just about the worst experience I’ve been through,” she says – Kerry’s priority is to keep her family together. “We’ve got to think of Molly,” she explains. “Westlife won’t last forever and my career won’t last forever. I’m trying to plan ahead.” “We’re not the first couple to have problems and we won’t be the last… Bryan and I will survive this,” she says, but she acknowledges the decision to work things out was a tough one. “I’m not going to lie and say it’s been easy.” The situation was made even more difficult with Bryan on tour in the UK and Kerry travelling around the world to tape her show, Elimidate. However, after Kerry’s 48-hour dash home – she was given compassionate leave to jet back to England – she’s back stateside and ready to work, saying: “I’m a professional and I’m trying to get on with it.” Kerry credits her baby daughter for her newfound strength to cope. “Molly’s completely changed my priorites,” she says. “She comes first. I don’t care about anyone else.” The eight-month-old baby is currently with her grandparents, but has visited her mum three times at locations around the world. “As soon as this is over,” says Kerry, “I’m never leaving her like this ever again.” Kerry forgives 2 Kerry has let the world know just how much husband Bryan McFadden from Westlife has hurt her with his cheating - and why she's chosen to forgive him. Earlier this week, Kerry dashed back to the UK from the set of her new TV show to demand the truth from Bryan after reports surfaced that he'd bedded lap dancer Amy Barker on his stag night. The dancer told how she'd been offered £15,000 by the Westlife star to keep it zipped about their sexual shenanigans. Kerry said, ''This is just about the worst experience I've been through. Bryan knows he's done wrong but we're going to try to put it all behind us. We're not the first couple to have problems and we won't be the last. But this situation is more than just Bryan and me. There's a baby involved who we love very much.' Kerry also hit out at lap dancer Amy Barker's decision to sell her kiss and tell story to the tabloids. 'That woman is just a cheap horrible gold-digger,' ranted Kerry. 'I hope she can sleep at night because she's caused a lot of pain in our lives.' The ex-Kitten has now returned to the set of her new TV dating show in Las Vegas. The star has won praise from ITV bosses for her professionalism and proudly describes herself as 'the new Cilla.' Bryan condemns press Bryan has hit back at the press for trying to "take him down". It was revealed by a tabloid newspaper that he slept with a lapdancer just weeks before his wedding to Kerry Katona. But the Westlife star says being in the media glare is all part of his job. Speaking on ITV's This Morning, Bryan said: "The press build you up and they love making you a success, but as soon as you're there and there's no more they can do for you they just want to take you down. It's the same with everybody. They're going to do it to me and do it to everybody. You've just got to learn to live with it. You've got to learn to be yourself and keep your private life and work life separate and ignore anyone else. It is tough but that's life. It's all part of the job. It's what we ask for." Bryan close to
tears in Newcastle Many fans have reported that Bryan was close to tears in the Newcastle concert (4/30/02) as they were performing Bop Bop Baby. That song as one that he wrote for Kerry. Other members of the group had to help him finish the song. One fan said, "You could see Bryan was trying hard to hold back the tears. Bryan's marriage on rocks Bryan and Kerry are on the verge of splitting up after a lap dancer claimed she bedded him on his stag night. Kerry is said to be distraught at Amy Barker's allegations that she was paid £15,000 to keep quite about having sex with Bryan. The young couple have only been married four months — but pals say Kerry is now considering whether to leave Bryan. She is working in Las Vegas on new telly dating show Elimidate and has made furious telephone calls to Bryan, who is currently in Newcastle touring with the band. A source close to Kerry said: “She is not sure that she can trust Bryan any more. To be unfaithful on his stag do, when she had only just had their baby Molly does not bode well for the future of their marriage. Kerry has always been determined to have a real family because she had a difficult upbringing but this has shattered all her illusions. Bryan spouted to all and sundry about how Kerry is the love of his life and Molly has made him grow up. But Kerry is now beginning to wonder whether that was all empty rubbish.” Publicly Westlife’s management are claiming Kerry is “fine” about the allegations. But pals have revealed that she is furious. Kerry’s friend added: “She is seething and there have been some extremely angry telephone calls between Vegas and Newcastle. He claims it was a one-off and that he was extremely drunk. She is saying if he can do it once, then he can easily do it again. They are apart a lot of the time and Kerry knows if she can’t trust him completely her mind will never be at rest.” Bryan and Kerry married in January, just weeks after having their daughter Molly. They had been dating for nearly two years although they kept their romance under wraps for almost 12 months. When their relationship was revealed Bryan said: “Everything I plan, everything I do, revolves around Kerry. She is my life, full stop. Every woman pales in comparison to her.”
At the root of the problem is an exotic dancer’s claim that she had a tryst with the pop hunk on his stag night, just weeks before his ultra-romantic Irish wedding. Lap dancer Amy Barker also says Bryan offered her £15,000 to keep the encounter under wraps – and though Westlife’s management says newlywed Kerry is “fine” about the allegations, reports indicate the contrary. Britain’s Daily Mirror newspaper says the 21-year-old has taken time out from her current stint hosting the ITV1 game show Elimidate, which takes her to exotic locales all over the world, to fly back to Britain in hopes of clearing the air in her marriage. Bryan is currently touring England with Westlife, while Kerry has just finished taping the Bahamas edition of her dating show. The programme’s crew is reportedly now in Las Vegas, the location for the next episode, awaiting her return. “So far she is
giving Bryan the benefit of the doubt,” a source told the Mirror.
“But…if the stag night tales are true, Kerry doesn’t feel
she deserves to be treated like that.” Amy's story Amy Baker and another lap dancer where hired to entertain the band and 40 guests on a coach trip from Dublin, Ireland, to Limerick last year (10/28/01) - but Bryan's drunken lust took later that night. The 22-year-old singer was then filled with remorse and begged his conquest to keep quiet to save his forthcoming marriage. The dancer was offered money to keep quiet and made to sign a gagging contract. Nine weeks later McFadden
was married in a fairytale ceremony where he declared his devotion and
undying love for Kerry. Amy says, "Bryan is a hypocrite and people
need to know. I saw his wedding pictures in HELLO! and he claimed to love
Kerry more than life itself." Before They Were Stars At least that's what VH1 would call it. Instead, those of you who caught ITV's "The Way They Were" were privy to pics of Bryan and Kerry from a few years back.
Mark and Cathy? Mark is said to be
enjoying a new romance with Bellefire star Cathy Newell. Mark met Cathy
when her group supported Westlife on their European tour last year. A
friend says, "Mark is besotted with her and is always on the phone
to her." Westlife monthly news archives
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