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
Westlife in Mexico!

11/13/01

Westlife add more dates in Dublin (courtesy of mcd.ie)

Westlife have now equalled their record breaking concert run at The Point in Dublin. Earlier this spring, the group had 11 concerts at The Point, playing to over 72,000 fans. Well, they're at it again, adding new dates, which we have posted below. Tickets went on sale on Saturday at HMV and Ticketmaster Outlets in the UK. Prices are €34.92.

New dates: Saturday, June 8th @ 12:30pm, Saturday, June 15th @ 12:30pm. [note that Westlife are now performing two concerts on the 8th and the 15th]

Sold out dates: June 6-8, June 10-12, June 14-16.

More quotes, as Westlife get their 9th UK #1

Kian said on Radio 1: "We feel that last year we rushed it. I don't think that's why we were No.2, I think Bob The Builder was better, fair and square. I think just in general, we are releasing this single so late in the year, to try and get another one in for Christmas is a bit rushed and it's going to be very hard for us to try and squeeze it in there. We have got a plan B to try and keep Westlife in the market for Christmas time, but the whole No.1 thing to us is gone now."

Westlife sold just shy of 150,000 copies of "Queen of My Heart" to land the #1 UK chart spot. It was one of the most successful chart debuts in the UK this year.

11/11/01

Westlife score their 9th UK #1, and their 10th top 10 hit!

Congrats to the guys. Shane spoke on BBC's Radio 1 just a minute ago...and here's a bit of what he said in a short 1-2 minute interview (essentially how fast I could type while Real Audio was going).

"we've beaten Take That's record, so that makes me very happy... ...we've all been all on the phone. The two boys in Dublin are going to go out [for a drink]. 3 boys in Sligo are going to go out... it's another nerve wracking week. We're up against Madonna and Robbie."

Virgin review of "World of Our Own"

CD rating: 2 stars out of 5

As former Leeds goalkeeping hopeful Nicky Byrne will probably tell you, top flight footballers often use the expression "show us your medals" to express their scepticism towards others in the game who haven't proved themselves. With seven consecutive number one singles under their belt and sales for their first two albums totalling 10 million, the fresh-faced Oirish quintet can certainly point to their medals. Boyzone are merely a memory, so successfully have they filled their void.

There will always be that scepticism about boy bands - they rarely contribute anything creative apart from opening their mouths when told to - but the five-piece and others like them will keep on going while the demand is there. Their third album in the space of three years is unlikely to end the run of success. It is carefully assembled, the songs are expertly tailored by the writing and production team of Steve Mac, Wayne Hector and Cheiron, while Westlife themselves have two complete credits of their own, suggesting a maturing on their part.

On the downside there is the inevitable schmaltz, the adolescent romanticism, the marshmellow arrangements, the cloying, lightweight instrumentation. But then it's a case of know your market and World Of Your Own is carefully marketed pop music - motivated by demographics. The songs themselves are split between mighty ballads like the single Queen Of My Heart, which recalls Lean On Me, and I Wanna Grow Old With You, a 100% Westlife credit, and upbeat close harmony pop/pop-rock numbers like Bop Bop Baby (a title that was surely made for Eurovision) and When You're Looking Like That.

The album's an absolute banker for a top chart slot but its deliberate avoidance of contemporary sounds like R&B means Westlife will never have any credibility, even when compared to the likes of Blue. What do they care though? They've been there, done it again and will soon have more medals to prove it.

Westlife special in Malaysia

TV2 will premiere "Queen Of My Heart" in conjunction with the release of their brand new album, "World Of Our Own". It will be aired anytime between 9 to 10pm on Nov 11, 13, 15 and 17. You can watch the video and take part in Radio 4 "Sing Like Westlife" contest, which will be conducted daily from November 19 to 26. Questions relating to the video will be asked and winners will get a Westlife "World Of Our Own" CD and an autographed framed poster.

More quotes from Shane and Mark about love

Shane: "It is hard to find someone on your terms; someone you can trust enough to stay with forever. I want someone genuine. I don't like girls who think they are Liz Hurley, out-of-this-world gorgeous. I like politeness, modesty, elegance," he explains.

Mark: "It should be so natural, falling in love. But it has become a minefield. If I get the slightest inkling that a girl is chatting to me just because I am in Westlife, the potential relationship goes down the drain. I'd like someone to come into my life soon. But the difficulty is finding a genuine girl who likes me for the person I am."

More from Mark about the pitfalls of stardom

Mark once found the pressure of being in Westlife so intense that he threatened to quit. He admitted that he wanted to leave the group because he had lost his sense of identity. He said, "It looks so glamorous. It looks like you have a ball but it is not like that at all. I don't like being a star. I've become Mark from Westlife. I'm not Mark Feehily any more. There are some days I'm just not happy. Last year the schedule exploded and I flipped. I thought, 'I don't think I can take this any more.' I went home for three weeks and had a long think. Then I reminded myself I'd had a great life before Westlife and that gave me a sense of security. I'm strong enough to survive without material things without attention, and that gives me strength."

11/07/01

A dubious distinction for Bryan?

The results from Chat magazine is out from their Mr Fat 2001 survey. Scottish star, Robbie Coltrane, came in #1 as the UK's favorite "fat bloke." Bryan cam in at #10 with 1% of the votes. Sure, that's not a lot of votes...but it's still #10. Chat editor, Paul Merrill said: "You don't have to have a body like David Beckham or George Clooney to be good looking or sexy. Our readers like something to get hold of, and this competition celebrates Britain's growing army of beer bellies. We want women to be proud of their overweight men and recognise their sexiness."

Bryan struck down by a nasty bug

Bryan has become the butt of jokes by the other members of Westlife after having come down with diarrhea. He has had to spend the last few days ducking in and out of the bathroom. Nicky said, "He's still on the toilet. He's been there two days and still hasn't got off."

A few quotes from Westlife's coach from the C2C tour (thanks to Agnes)

Shane Filan: A really strong singer. The one thing I particularly like about Shane is that his phrasing is really natural. On this tour he is going to be quite exciting because he's really coming into his own. More than the others he has a rocky edge; it's such a strong lead - I call it a Bryan Adams sound, but on the other hand, his range is limited to about an A, where stops. As he works and as he grows, he will be able to stretch that up.

Kian Egan: Sings a lot of the bass parts because he is one of the few who has a quality that works down there. With most of the guys there is a lot of air that goes up with the vocal chords, so there is not a lot of projection at the bottom, whereas Kian has that.

Bryan McFadden: He is the belter, the one that makes a lot of noise. He projects himself very well. A good solid member of the group.

Nicky Byrne: Capable of a lot of different things. He doesn't fall into a category. He changes all the time to suit whatever is going on. If he wants to be cool he lets lots of air out and sings quietly. If he wants to burn it up, he can be a belter like Bryan. The fact that he has versatility means I can get him to try different things.

Mark Feehily: The one I call 'No Fear.' He has a very big voice and he has never put a limit on it. Whatever line you give him it doesn't matter. He will find a way to make it work. I think everyone knows that from the records because he does all the ad-libs and they sound great. Where I worry about Mark is on the fast tunes in the show, like When you're looking like that and Dreams Come True, because he has really long, extended high lines to accompany difficult steps. So when he is moving and stepping he's not grounded. But he makes great sounds and he's always the really nice cherry on top of the harmonies.

11/06/01

Westlife set for 9th UK #1!

According to mid weeks sales figure, Queen of My Heart is outselling the current #1 hit by Afroman by a 3:1 margin. HMV chart expert Gennaro Castaldo said, "Westlife are on course to sell almost 150,000 copies by the end of the week. It will be one of the most successful first week sales of the year. Westlife plan to launch their new album, World Of Our Own at HMV's Dublin, Grafton Street store this Thursday at 8.00pm. Police are taking extra security measures as over 1,000 competition winners are expected to turn up for the exclusive listening party. Westlife have added a further 3 concerts to their already 6 sold out dates at Dublin's Point Theatre next June 2002. Another chart expert at Virgin Megastore in London said, "We expect Westlife to go to Number One this week, they've been doing loads of promotion for the track and it's a brand new single as well."

Westlife adds 3 more concert dates in Dublin

[from mcd.ie] Westlife's popularity is amazing, but not surprising. After having sold out an incredible 43,000 tickets for 6 shows, MCD added 3 more concert dates at Dublin's Point Theatre next June 2002. The sold out dates are 6/6-6/8/01 and 6/10-6/12/01. The new dates on sale are 6/14-6/16/01.

Earlier this year, Westlife broke the box office records by selling out 11 nights at the Point, and played to over 72,000 fans. Tickets cost €34.92 and are available from HMV and Ticketmaster outlets nationwide.

Westlife not all that popular at the bars

Well, we love them, but how about those grown ups that visit bars? Apparently not. The boys found that out the hard way when they attempted to initiate an impromptu performance for the customers of a Manchester bar. They were thrown out! The group had a few drinks and decided to entertain the other revellers. But they didn’t get very far. The bosses of the bar asked them to stop as other drinkers were, "trying to enjoy themselves". When Westlife continues singing, they were asked to leave. The nerve of those bar patrons!

Westlife visit the strip clubs

You gotta wonder why the press just love Westlife =) First the bars, and now a strip club. Anyways, Westlife shocked fans this week on news that they spent thousands of pounds at a lapdancing club (Lapello Club in Limerick, Ireland). The group kept sneaking off to a private room where they paid nine beautiful girls to strip off and give steamy personal performances - to celebrate Bryan's marriage to Kerry. band member BRYAN McFADDEN's forthcoming marriage to ex-ATOMIC KITTEN KERRY KATONA. A friend of the group says, "They were hog-whimpering drunk. The girls grab your hand and ask if you want them to dance for you. They are so gorgeous it is hard to say No." The lustiest band member turned to be Kian (or so they say), who requested 9 sessions alone with the table-top totty. One dancer says, "They couldn't get enough of us and kept coming back for more. They were in sex heaven."

Kian says "I'm Straight"

Ah, those gay rumors keep circulating, even in our forum (it's not there any more, since the forum was just reinstalled...so don't bother looking). But Kian has come out and declared that he is not gay (and not following in the steps Stephan Gately of Boyzone fame). A representative of Kian said, "Real Westlife fans are going to be reading this stuff so Kian is understandably upset that these rumours are going around. He is not gay and even if he was, that's his business."

Westlife's musical

Westlife are set to hit London's West End theater world with a musical that they have written. Kian, Bryan and Shane are busy writing the show in between recording sessions and promotional work. Shane revealed, "We're all very excited about it. It'll be a biography of our lives with songs and special guests - but we don't know who yet."

More on that video tape court case

More details have emerged about the IOU video tape that is at the center of court case. A 1997 IOU video of Shane, Mark and Kian has been ordered locked in a bank vault by a judge. The release will only be made when ownership of the tape can be established. The tape shows the three singers with three friends mimicking a boy band. Currently, a promotions company and a video cameraman are in a battle for ownership of the tape. The video, filmed for £1,140, has now become a valuable piece of Westlife history and a potential money spinner for its owner.

According to the lawsuit, in 1997 during rehearsals in Sligo for the hit musical Grease, Mark, Shane and Kian along with 3 other performers took time out to clown around as IOU. The show's producer and choreographer Mary McDonagh and theatre manager Padraig Meehan trading as Streetwise Promotions, arranged for the video to be made. McDonagh and Meehan claim the cameraman, Ciaran Carthy, refused to hand over the mastertape and copies. Carthy is denying there was any agreement with Streetwise Promotions to hand over tapes of his video. The hearing was adjourned by Judge Brian McMahon until March 5. Barrister Stephen Byrne for the plaintiffs McDonagh and Meehan said the case concerned copyright law, intellectual property and alleged breach of contract. Defense barrister John Shortt said there was a huge conflict of evidence.

11/03/01

Mark: Westlife give up on US for the forseeable future

I don't know about you, but I for one am tired of the flip flops as reported by the media. Backstage at this morning's cd:uk show, Mark confirmed that Westlife have given up on making it big in the US for the forseeable future. He said that a combination of the recent terrorist attacks on America and their record company's reluctance to give the band a real push in the US had influenced the band's decision. Mark said, "With the world the way it is right now and America especially, this doesn't seem the right time to be trying to break America. The record company haven't really given us the right promotion over there. We did have a hit with our first release over there but then we didn't follow it up. There doesn't seem much point in going over there if it's going to be half-hearted."

11/01/01

Westlife blame BMG for their failure in the US

At yesterday's UK press conference, Westlife blamed BMG for failing to conquer the US last year. Bryan told The Sun: "Their promotion was useless - the biggest event they lined up was the QVC channel." (editor's note: which by the way is not a big event by any stretch of the imagination). Kian added: "It got so messed up that there was no point continuing."

Shane and Bryan refute their manager

Westlife must not be communicating too well with their manager. A few days back we told you how Louis had basically dissed the group by saying that the 2nd album was crap and that only Shane and Bryan had a promising solo career. Well, at yesterday's press conference, Bryan said, "Our Greatest Hits is due next year and we're already starting to think about our fourth Westlife album." Kian joked, "He's [Louis] a very honest person. He's a very musically minded person. Bryan added, "Coast To Coast sold eight million so I hope he absolutely despises this one." Also, at yesterday's conference, the boys performed 2 songs from their album - which by the way was leaked onto the internet yesterday. They also revealed that they are to be the subject of a BBC documentary in early September (??). Bryan also confessed that he has no desire to pursue a TV career at this point. He said, "I don't think you'll ever see me presenting This Morning again, 'cause getting up at that time isn't for me."

Westlife has 2 nominations for TOTP awards

Kylie Minogue has the most nominations (3) for this year's first ever Top of the Pops awards. She was nominated in the categories for Top Pop act, Top Tour and her recent number one smash "Can't Get You Out Of My Head" was nominated for Top Single. The nominees were announced in London by Jamie Theakston on Thursday. Madonna, Westlife and Atomic Kitten were nominated for two awards each.

Court case over a 1997 IOU video

A video tape featuring three Westlife members is in the midst of a legal challenge. A promotions company, Streetwise, has launched a claim for $39,000 (£30,000), saying that masters of the tape should have been handed over to them by the cameraman who made the video. The tape, made in 1997, features Shane, Mark and Kian when they were a part of IOU. They claim the cameraman agreed to make a video of IOU in 1997 for $1,482 (£1,140), but refused to hand over the tape when asked for it. Sligo Circuit Court heard that the case was about the ownership rights of the tape and adjourned the case until March 5, 2002.

Mark shocked at offer of cocaine

Mark was shocked when he was offered cocaine ina trendy London bar. He was enjoying the night out at a showbiz haunt with friends. He said, "I was with a small crowd of mates, just having a good time. Then this guy came up to me, pulled me aside and said he was doing cocaine with mates at a party upstairs and asked me if I wanted to come along. I was furious that he had asked me. I told him to f**k off. I remember when I first got into the band one of the main things that concerned me was all the stories about drugs in the industry we were in. I was mentally prepared for it. I was actually amazed that for a long time I was never offered anything. That guy probably thought I would join him just because I was in the music industry."

Pressures of fame

Bryan and Mark recently made comments about the pressure of life in the spotlight. Bryan said, "I don't like going into a shop and having people looking at me. It's not a big-headed thing but I really don't like it. Sometimes I feel I am part of a freak show. I feel I have two heads." Mark agreed saying, "Sometimes you feel like a weirdo. Think what it's like when everybody is looking at you. It's like having a big birthmark on your face and having people staring all the time. It's almost the same thing."

No split - more quotes

Kian said, "We've got a few years left in us yet. We'll be touring most of next year and then we'll probably release a Best Of collection. We feel that we still have a lot left to accomplish. As long as we're still enjoying it, we'll keep going."

Shane added, "No matter what happens, we want to go out at the top. We don't want what happened to Boyzone to happen to us, people not knowing if they've broken up or not. We want to do it like Take That did, go out at the very top."

Westlife monthly news archives

November 2001 (1)
October 2001 (2)
October 2001 (1)
September 2001 (2)
September 2001 (1)
August 2001
July 2001
June 2001
May 2001
April 2001
March 2001
February 2001
January 2001
August 2000