http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-images/Music/Pix/pictures/2007/05/10/mcfly460.jpg

 

 

 

 

Wherefore art the boy bands?

 

With even McFly looking for a new record deal, the writing seems to be on the wall for boybands. That would be a great loss

 

Some sad news that may shift the little-girl world on its axis: McFly have left Island Records and are currently without a record deal. According to the label, the allegedly hunky foursome are now free to shop their next album to a new company.

 

This won't necessarily spell the end for McFly, who still land hit singles with a mystifying regularity, but it does mark a milestone in pop culture, as Island was the last major label to have a British boy band on its roster (unless you count Polydor, and consider Take That a "boy" band).

 

I'm sure that, if it hastens the group's retirement from frontline pop, many Guardian blog-readers will consider McFly's loss to be music's gain, but the dearth of boy bands deprives 12-year-old girls (tomorrow's blog-readers, don't forget) of a major rite of musical passage. With no male groups created specifically for them, where else will they get an education in boys and pop in one safe package? Ever since Frank Sinatra slayed the bobby-soxers, the combination of cute male faces plus uncomplicated music has been part of most young female lives, providing a guidepost to adolescence.

 

People who aren't little girls (or gay men) usually loathe most things about boy bands, from the formulaic songs to the fact that actual talent tends to play a secondary role, but they answer a need that's not easily filled in any other way. There are boy-ISH groups around, like the Kooks and Scouting for Girls, but they primarily make music for adults, or at least people old enough not to be confused by lines like: "She's flirty, turned 30, ain't that the age a girl gets really dirty?"

 

And while various actors and footballers are fancied by prepubescents, there's something about the aforementioned eye-candy/music mix that packs an emotional punch that no actor can match.

 

 

So where IS the next Take That? The charts aren't short of the female variety, the sustained popularity of whom proves that if a manufactured group is matched with brilliant songwriters, the short shelf-life of a teen band can be extended indefinitely.

 

You can understand why record companies are wary about taking a punt on a new boy band - most of those launched in the last few years (remember the grim One True Voice?) have failed to sell, so labels don't want to sink several hundred thousand pounds into a doomed proposition. But the answer is in front of their noses, and it's the reason Girls Aloud and Sugababes have been so successful: dump the sickmaking ballads and give the bands cool, modern songs to sing. That's the crux of it. GIve them decent material, and the little girls will follow.

 

 

 

 

 

with the exception of Take That most boybands are utter rubbish im my opinion and i would be happy if mc fly never got another record deal,the girl groups are delivering catchy songs and both girls aloud and sugababes are releasing consistantly strong singles that are all very different and thats why they are still doing so well as the material is fresh

I've never been a huge fan of boybands, I'm sure McFly will have no problem getting another contract unfortunatley

Most boybands in the past, particularly those from the 90s, got successful via Smash Hits and their

roadshows which toured the country.

Now Smash Hits is gone, and there aren't any pop/saturday morning shows on the air, i think it

will be hard for a new boyband to get success.

I don't think we'll ever see a return to the late 90s pop heyday again, unless pop shows make a comeback.

Boy bands are c**p. Watery, cheesy ballads or horribly childish pop. Only Take That are any good.

I was starting to wonder why McFly hadn't tainted our charts in a while...

on a separate note...what DO teenage girls listen to nowadays? R&B?

:mellow: Must we generalise in such a vague way as that? 'Teenage girls' listen to everything from Pop to R&B and Dance to Indie I'd imagine, much like the music tastes of the posters here on BJ.

I quite like a few McFly songs shamefully athough if they did dissapea from the music scene i woudnt bat an eyelid. With the expetion of Take That most if not all boy bands have been very very bad and dreadful.

We seemed to go through an era of boybands particularly during the 90's/early 00s which has passed. There was Five, Busted, Westlife, East 17, Boyzone, Backstreet Boys and 911. Not many of these are still successful. I think music trends have changed and there is less pop around. Also, boybands tend to have a short shelf life of about 2-3 albums usually.

Its quite sad really that Take That and Westlife are the only ones still having success at the moment. I would love a new boyband to come along with a more Backstreet Boys/N Sync style pop music. Not the standard ballads, (Larger Than Life and Bye Bye Bye are probably my two most favourite boyband songs)

 

As for McFly, i've never liked them as their music has been constantly generic. Only Heart Never Lies seemed orginal to them, but it didn't compare to the superior Rule the World from Take That which were both released around the same time. McFly, lets be honest were lucky, they rode off the back of Busted and for a good while were the only boyband around. Now that Take That are back and Westlife still selling huge, there's not really any room for them

Its quite sad really that Take That and Westlife are the only ones still having success at the moment. I would love a new boyband to come along with a more Backstreet Boys/N Sync style pop music. Not the standard ballads, (Larger Than Life and Bye Bye Bye are probably my two most favourite boyband songs)

 

As for McFly, i've never liked them as their music has been constantly generic. Only Heart Never Lies seemed orginal to them, but it didn't compare to the superior Rule the World from Take That which were both released around the same time. McFly, lets be honest were lucky, they rode off the back of Busted and for a good while were the only boyband around. Now that Take That are back and Westlife still selling huge, there's not really any room for them

 

Indeed a Backstreet Boys/N Sync style boyband would be ideal.

Max Martin produced some amazing pop songs, if i was a popstar id be begging to work with him rather than the likes of Timbaland, Akon etc :lol:

There are many boybands around in other countries but generally all of them have the Timbaland style Pop/R&B type sound.

 

N*Sync stand as the best boyband imo just about, 'Here We Go' 'If Im Not The One' 'Bringin The Noise' and 'That Girl Will Be Never Be Mine' all should of been released, especially 'If Im Not The One' which is not particulary known but by far one of their best songs.

You can listen to it here

Edited April 29, 200817 yr by Mark.

We seemed to go through an era of boybands particularly during the 90's/early 00s which has passed. There was Five, Busted, Westlife, East 17, Boyzone, Backstreet Boys and 911. Not many of these are still successful. I think music trends have changed and there is less pop around. Also, boybands tend to have a short shelf life of about 2-3 albums usually.

 

Looking at past history, the latter part of a decade (80s & 90s), seems to have had a pop explosion.

Late 80s with the S/A/W stuff and the late 90s with the steps, s club stuff.

 

So the late 00's should see a similar kind of pop explosion...however as it said previously it will

be hard this time without smash hits and pop/saturday morning shows.

 

i dont understand why guitar based pop groups are called 'boy bands'... that term was coined to discribe acts like take that (first time around), boyzone, and all the other 4-5 piece ballad/pop singers.

 

mc fly, busted are pop groups.... exactly the same as all the historical groups were from the beatles to duran duran.

 

theres no simularity between pop groups like mc fly, busted and the balladeers like westlife... its a totally different style of music.

Most boybands in the past, particularly those from the 90s, got successful via Smash Hits and their

roadshows which toured the country.

Now Smash Hits is gone, and there aren't any pop/saturday morning shows on the air, i think it

will be hard for a new boyband to get success.

I don't think we'll ever see a return to the late 90s pop heyday again, unless pop shows make a comeback.

 

 

I agree. Bands such as Boyzone and Westlife won the Smash Hits Tour award, which basically propelled into the charts and the world of pop, and guaranteed them a slot on shows such as SMTV and Live and Kicking answering viewers questions, "performing" their single and joining in the fun and games. I remember the hype when Westlife (or Westside as they were then called!) won the Tour award. Being from Ireland, I already knew of them and was a bit of a fan.

But then all of a sudden they were EVERYWHERE. Winning that award played a HUGE part in them being as successful as they are today.

The Smash Hits Awards when downhill as soon as it moved to Channel 4. It just didn't have the same aura behind it. Though the first one on Channel 4 was in 2001 and Steps performed Chain Reaction in doctors and nurses outfits. Its still one of my favourite performances by them. I'm just glad i actually have the 1999 awards to look back on. That was great!

 

What happened to Smash Hits Awards actually? I mean, when the magazine defunct, i didn't think it would kill off the show as well, but i haven't seen it for a good couple of years now.

 

I was actually thinking last night that now would probably be a good time to bring back Top of the Pops, still have it on a Sunday night, but on BBC1. The problem last time was it was always competiting against soaps - on the Friday and Sunday. They never used to have this problem before in the 90's cos each soap was only on 2-3 times a week. But now that both Emmerdale and Coronation Street are no longer on Sundays. And the BBC have the results of talent shows on Sunday nights - it could become a main fixture of BBC Sunday nights. Say have Top of the Pops on at 7pm and the Results of Strictly/I'd Do Anything. I think it could actually work now.

 

 

Anyway, going back to the boyband thing - i just remembered Phixx. Now they were great as well! Their album is like the male version of Girls Aloud's Sound of the Underground album. But they ballsed it up by releasing Strange Love (which was utter c**p) instead of Judgement Day (which is genious)

i agree, bring back the Saturday morning tv shows.

 

as for boy bands, never been a fan, doubt i ever will

I quite liked some boybands. BSB, Nsync, Five, A1, etc. Most of the boybands from recent years are c**p, including McFly and Busted.

It would be nice to see a new boyband making it big without being similar to any other, and not manufactured. Maybe Unklejam if they qualify as a boyband

Has anyone heard this yet?

Its 'Round & Round' by 'US5' which are one of the only good new boybands.

Its really catchy, could be described as Justin Timberlake meets Kylie Minogue.