Sydney11
-
Joined
-
Last visited
Posts posted by Sydney11
-
-
℗ 2025 Robert Williams / Farrell Music Ltd, under exclusive license to Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited Released on: 2025-07-18Associated Performer, Vocal: Robbie Williams
Background Vocal: Emily Parker
Lyricist, Percussion, Drums, Composer, Producer: Karl Brazil
Recording Engineer, Programmer, Bass, Background Vocal, Guitar, Composer, Lyricist, Producer: Owen Parker
Violin, Additional Studio Producer: David Davidson
Violin: David Angell Viola: Kristin Wilkinson
Cello: Carole Rabinowitz
Strings: The Love Sponge Strings Programmer,
Producer: Sam Miller Composer,
Lyricist: Robert Williams Lyricist,
Composer, Mixing Engineer, Producer: Martin Terefe
Mixing Engineer: Oskar Winberg
Recording Engineer: George Murphy
Recording Engineer: Taylor Pollard
Mastering Engineer: Matt Colton
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3Nho5FPo__hIFbg_UlaCgA
-
This "truly original" biopic that is "totally enthralling" shoots up trending chart on UK streamer
Story by Sam Warner
• 7h •
Biopic Better Man has shot up the trending charts after being added to Prime Video.
The movie, which premiered in cinemas last year, tells the story of Robbie Williams and his rise to fame – though takes the unique approach of having the singer portrayed as a chimpanzee.
After being recently released on Prime Video, Better Man has proved an immediate hit, becoming the second most-watched movie in the UK and Ireland.
The film largely drew acclaim, sitting at a high 89% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with Newsday calling it "truly original", while Time Out said it was "totally enthralling".
In Digital Spy's five-star review at the time of its cinema release, we said it was "one of the best movies of the year".
Better Man© Entertainment Film Distributors
"During Better Man, you'll come to the realisation that there really was no other way to tell the story of Robbie Williams," we added. "He might appear on screen as a chimpanzee, but the movie is just as irreverent and self-aware, while still being honest and emotional, as the star himself."
Despite the acclaim, the movie was less successful at the box office, making only $22.5 million worldwide off a budget of $110 million.
Jonno Davies takes on the role of chimp Williams (in motion capture), while the movie also features Gavin & Stacey's Alison Steadman and Inside No 9's Steve Pemberton.
Better Man teaser trailer© Entertainment Film
Speaking to DS last year, Williams compared Better Man to therapy, revealing: "People walk up to me after the screenings and there are floods of tears and they commend me on my bravery which I don't get at all, but thank you.
"I know that this is, separate to all of the commercial reasons, therapy. I also know because I've witnessed it in some sort of way. It does some sort of healing, which is also great."
Better Man is available to stream now for Prime Video subscribers.
This "truly original" biopic that is "totally enthralling" shoots up trending chart on UK streamer
-
‘I’d broken out of the cult’: How Oasis, addiction and Gary Barlow pushed Robbie Williams into quitting Take That
Story by Mark Beaumont
• 3h •
8 min read
The hair was spiked and crusted with peroxide. The eyes were dark, hooded and glazed by fatigue. The outfit was pure Adidas Lad and he appeared to have a tooth missing. Resembling the delinquent love child of 2D and Murdoc from Gorillaz, the geezer – arguably the pinnacle of the form – looked for all the world like a drug dealer who’d jumped the fence and somehow blagged his way backstage pretending to be Robbie Williams from Take That.
Yet this was indeed the formerly clean-cut, cheeky-grinning boyband heartthrob, snapped relentlessly at that fateful Glastonbury of 1995 by the eager papparazzi – beer bottle in hand, cigarette in gob and either throwing an arm around Noel Gallagher or receiving a smacker from Liam. “Because I’m in the sort of band I’m in, people are looking at me like, ‘You’re not supposed to be here’,” he told the news cameras, seemingly unaware of the disapproving storm brewing back in the real world, too.
In just a few photos, Williams – by curling his Pilton-encrusted fingernails through the flimsy façade of squeaky-clean boyband perfection – exploded the great pop myth more than any Beatle beard. Within weeks of waggling his backside onstage with Oasis, he was ejected from Take That and the band was set on course for collapse, splitting just seven months after his departure. Yet Robbie’s rebellious departure – 30 years ago today – was more than just a heartbreaker for fans and a huge upheaval for the pop world. It stands today as arguably the ultimate expression of Nineties lad culture and a definitive image of the hedonistic abandon of the age.
For Williams himself, his real-me emancipation had been a long time stewing. “I’d broken out of the cult,” he said in last year’s Boybands Forever documentary. “[Oasis] were the antithesis of Take That and that very much appealed to me … There were lots of rules and eventually when there’s that many rules, you’re gonna break rules.”
A keen stage performer as a child (his Artful Dodger reportedly stole the show at a school production of Oliver!), Williams was just 16 when a typically endearing wink at the end of an otherwise underwhelming audition for manager Nigel Martin-Smith landed him a place as the youngest member of Take That. The band had been put together largely as a vehicle for the songs of Gary Barlow, and Williams soon found himself relegated to the lower end of the band’s hierarchy. “Gary was Nigel’s cash cow,” Williams said. “I was resentful.”
Lacking a dance background, Williams struggled to learn the band’s overly intricate dance routines, and when he dared to add a rap verse to a song, he was warned not to ask for any publishing income from it. “You learn your place,” he said, and his place was shaky from the start. He claimed he was warned by Martin-Smith that he was easily replaceable if he messed up: “It made me feel like my place within the band was never safe and guaranteed,” he said. He was left feeling “not loved, not even liked. And I was 16.”
Five uneasy pieces: (from left) Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Mark Owen, Williams and Jason Orange during Take That’s heyday (PA)
Williams likened his experience in Take That to William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, not least due to the animosity that developed between him and Barlow. Tensions were stoked by the fact that it was the younger, 18-year-old singer, not his controlling, self-serious bandmate, who fronted the band’s first top five hit, a hi-NRG cover of Barry Manilow’s “Could It Be Magic”.
“I knew that he didn’t like me or felt threatened by me,” Williams said. Barlow explained further in a 2024 podcast: “My friends were Jason [Orange] and Howard [Donald], it was the three of us, we were the older ones, we got on,” he said. “Mark [Owen] and Rob were always a bit removed for us. They were cool, younger … and they were the naughty ones … always off doing something else.”
The immense fame that the success of Take That brought only compounded Williams’s insecurities. “The tremendous gift that was bestowed on me and the other boys turned into a nightmare,” he said. “There’s something psychically that happens with having immense notoriety. It’s the opposite of breaking the fourth wall, it’s going back through and inhabiting this strange place that wasn’t what you thought it was … Nobody goes through that level of fame and comes out the other side completely sane or not mentally affected.”
Age-old story: by his early twenties, Williams had turned to drink and drugs. Until then, Take That had operated as a relatively strict, hermetic, almost monastic group. “I said to the boys right from the beginning to build a wall around the six of us,” Martin-Smith told news crews early in their career. “When, for example, girlfriends started getting involved in what should be happening with the band, that’s when I’ve seen so many bands start falling apart.” This one fell apart, however, because one member needed to escape. “My particular brand of seeking salvation and safety came in the form of substances and alcohol,” Williams said. “I’d become feral. Lots of coke, lots of darkness, lots of comedowns that were hellish.”
Suits you, sir: Take That performing at the Brit Awards ceremony at Alexandra Palace, London, in 1994 (PA)
As his substance abuse intensified and Williams entered what he’d later describe to the BBC as “a nervous breakdown, my first of many”, he began missing rehearsals, or turning up in no fit state to perform. “I was ingesting everything I could get my hands on,” he told a 2023 Netflix documentary about his life. “I [was] literally drinking a bottle of vodka a night before going into rehearsals.” His bandmates would pull him up for letting the side down. “I was told this is not how you behave in a boyband,” Williams said. “The sense that I wasn't ready or capable to fulfil the role that was being asked of me was palpable.”
“We’d all had our different journeys,” Barlow said, “but it had just [got] too much for him. The day in, day out, the work, the stress of it all, me leading everybody and telling them what to do, it… I was unbearable. They put up with a lot [from] me. I was right all the time and I was the leader all the time. That original role I’d been given, I didn’t give any of it up as the years went on. The band needed to end.”
A fateful meeting in the summer of 1995, addressing Williams’s behaviour, proved the breaking point. “It felt like I was in some sort of burning building and I needed to get out,” Williams recalled. “I was like, ‘OK, I’ll do this tour and then I'll leave.’ And they actually went, ‘Actually, if you're going to leave, can you go now?’.”
Smiling assassins: ‘Actually, if you’re going to leave, can you go now?’ (PA)
His Take That bandmate Donald points to a fundamental lack of understanding and empathy behind the decision. “To have someone close to you that you can speak to about your feelings, that's one of the things we never ever did in the Nineties, hence why Robbie left,” he told the Daily Express. “We never discussed what he was feeling before he left that room. We look back at that moment and [wish] we could have talked more. I wonder if it could have saved him [from] leaving.”
“ROBBIE: I QUIT TAKE THAT!” The Sun splashed. The outpouring of grief among fans at the news of Williams’s departure was unprecedented for the age. “One of my friends was off school for days,” one fan recently posted; “I cried for a week,” admitted another.
“It was a big shock to us all,” Donald told the ITN cameras as the band regrouped as a four-piece, while Barlow assured viewers: “We’re gonna be here as long as the fans want us here.”
What Robbie Williams did by leaving on his own terms – and in such a dramatic way – was to set himself up for a much better future than the rest of the band
Mark Sutherland, music critic
“It was pretty seismic,” says music writer and columnist Mark Sutherland, who was working for Smash Hits at Take That’s peak. While it wouldn’t be until the final split of the band the following year that helplines would be set up to counsel distraught fans, Sutherland argues that Robbie leaving was the bigger moment. “The chemistry had been unbalanced by Robbie leaving. And what he actually did by leaving on his own terms – and in such a dramatic way – was to set himself up for a much better future than the rest of the band. When Take That eventually fizzled out, they were left a bit flat-footed. Robbie was already off and running.”
Indeed, Williams’s solo career would become a late-Nineties phenomenon. Launching out alone with a cover of George Michael’s “Freedom” just as his old band were disintegrating, he’d soon have huge hits with singles such as “Let Me Entertain You”, “Millennium” and “Angels” and go on to sell 75 million records worldwide as one of the best-selling artists of all time. Within years, he’d become the blueprint for successfully escaping the pop band shackles.
In the pink: Williams became the blueprint for escaping the pop band shackles (AFL Photos)
“Robbie paved the way for members of other Nineties groups to leave, like Geri Halliwell, Louise, and Brian McFadden,” says Simon Jones, who has worked as a publicist for some of the country’s biggest pop acts, including the Spice Girls and One Direction. “I can remember being in record company meetings years later where the question would always be: would their solo career end up ‘doing a Robbie’?”
Jones recalls Williams offering help and advice to other singers who felt like the odd one out in their own bands: “Louise [solo artist and former member of the R&B group Eternal] has spoken openly about how Robbie was a kindred spirit for her.”
Perhaps the greatest impact of the manner of Williams’s fall from pop-god grace, though, was in exposing forever the myth of the squeaky-clean boyband image. In that black-toothed Glastonbury grin lay all the human strains, pains and failings so often glossed over by the pop machine. It was only after his Glastonbury breakout, for instance, that the Spice Girls could put on such a genuine and forthright front, and George Michael could own his 1998 arrest for cottaging in LA in the self-mocking lyric and video for subsequent single “Outside”.
The butter-wouldn’t-melt image of the Nineties boyband was always an illusion, Sutherland says. “If you worked for Smash Hits you kind of knew that the gap between the public image of these people and what they were really like was quite wide. But there were a lot of music industry resources devoted to making sure the public never became aware of that gap.” By shattering the facade, though, Williams forged a new level of trust and connection with his fanbase. They unequivocally knew that in his cheeky, charming yet knowingly flawed performance, they were getting the real Robbie – untamed, unfiltered, and defiantly off the chain.
-
-
-
If you are a fan of Robbie Williams, you simply have to check out The Robbie Williams Rewind Podcast!
-
Wild 36 hours in New York watching my mate sing at a football match.
Eternally grateful. Core memories made. The loveliest people on earth.
-
1
-
-
-
Peggy Gallagher says in a new interview that she was the "instigator" for Oasis' upcoming reunion.
"I was the instigator, yes. But sure, wasn't it always going to happen at some time or other?" she replied. "It was their choice, of course. Look you can't force them to do things they don't want to do."
She went on to say she is relieved to see her sons working together again after all this time. "It's great, because nobody wants their kids falling out, do they?" she said, although she admitted to being nervous about the shows. "I'll be glad when it's all just over because it makes me get too stressed."
Peggy then revealed that she is planning to attend Oasis' show in Dublin: "That's my plan anyway... it will be great."
#oasis #liamgallagher #noelgallagher #britpop -
-
-
OASIS - Some Might Say - Manchester 11/07
Video thanks to https://www.youtube.com/@THEMattPope
OASIS - Cast No Shadow - Manchester 11/07
Video thanks to https://www.youtube.com/@BurNAgebOy777
-
·
Robbie Williams - 'Life Thru A Lens': The Box Sets (CD & 7" Singles) #RobbieWilliams #LifeThruALens #OldBeforeIDie #Angels #LetMeEntertainYou #EgoAGoGo #SouthOfTheBorder #TeenageMillionaire #Freedom #DesmondChild #EricBazillian #CD https://2loud2oldmusic.com/2025/07/14/robbie-williams-life-thru-a-lens-the-box-sets-cd-7-singles/
via
-
1
-
-
-
-
11 hours ago, Sydney11 said: Head on over to Robbie Williams Rewind Podcast where Lucy & Matt chat to Owen Parker
Link RWR Special - Owen Parker - Ro…–Robbie Williams Rewind – Apple Podcasts
We’re back with another special episode of Robbie Williams Rewind, and this time we’re joined by the brilliant Owen Parker!
Owen has been Robbie’s keyboardist since 2019, joining the band for his Las Vegas residency and the epic XXV Tour. A vital part of Robbie’s musical team, he’s also co-written and worked closely with Robbie and Karl Brazil on The Christmas Present including tracks like “Home,” “Darkest Night,” and “Can’t Stop Christmas”, and more recently, on Robbie’s upcoming album Britpop.
In this episode, Owen gives us a behind-the-scenes look at life on tour and in the studio with Robbie, and he shares fantastic stories from his career working with music legends like the Pet Shop Boys, Simple Minds, Girls Aloud, and many more.
Follow Owen on Instagram @owenparker74
Get in touch with us at robbiewilliamsrewind.com & @rewindrobbie on Instagram & Twitter.
& Yes, Owen is a Pink Floyd fan 😊
Really enjoyed this interview ..
-
-
-
Edited by Sydney11
Robbie Williams sings his heart out with Italian singer Laura Pausini at FIFA Club World Cup while Coldplay and Doja Cat also perform in halftime show
Published: 20:44 EDT, 13 July 2025 | Updated: 20:53 EDT, 13 July 2025
Robbie Williams belted out the new Official FIFA Anthem, Desire, alongside Italian singer Laura Pausini at FIFA Club World Cup 2025 final on Sunday. The Take That icon, 51, wrote and recorded the high-energy track ahead of the final, after he was confirmed as FIFA's Music Ambassador. Coldplay and Doja Cat also performed a jaw-dropping performance during the halftime show.
Chelsea secured a surprise 3-0 win against PSG, with Cole Palmer scoring a brace while Joao Pedro was also on target.
Trump watched the game alongside FIFA President Gianni Infantino and then took centre stage when the trophy was given to Chelsea. Co-written with long-time collaborators Karl Brazil and Owen Parker, alongside Erik Jan Grob, Robbie's track made its debut in the opening show.
In a major move for FIFA, Desire will be used across all future tournaments, including the FIFA World Cup 2026 and beyond.
For the first time ever, the new anthem will play as teams walk onto the pitch at every FIFA match worldwide.
Described as a stadium-ready anthem packed with emotional energy, the song aims to capture the intensity, pride and unity that defines football on the global stage.
In his new ambassador role, Robbie has also invited iconic Italian singer Laura to feature on the track.
Speaking about the role, Robbie said: 'Music and football bring people together like nothing else - each with their own universal language of connection, emotion, spirit and community.
'When those worlds come together, there’s nothing like it, and I’m beyond honoured to be the FIFA Music Ambassador.
'Football and music have both been part of my life for as long as I can remember, so this means a lot to me on a personal level.'
On the inspiration behind Desire, he added: 'I’ve grown up watching the walk-outs, the anthems, the drama. So writing and recording the official FIFA anthem is a real privilege.
Chelsea players were left bemused as Donald Trump stole the limelight during their trophy lift
The Take That icon wrote and recorded the high-energy track ahead of the final, after he was confirmed as FIFA's Music Ambassador
Co-written with long-time collaborators Karl Brazil and Owen Parker, alongside Erik Jan Grob, Robbie's track made its debut in the opening show
In a major move for FIFA, Desire will be used across all future tournaments, including the FIFA World Cup 2026 and beyond
For the first time ever, the new anthem will play as teams walk onto the pitch at every FIFA match worldwide
Described as a stadium-ready anthem packed with emotional energy, the song aims to capture the intensity, pride and unity that defines football on the global stage
Chelsea secured a surprise 3-0 win against PSG, with Cole Palmer scoring a brace while Joao Pedro was also on target
Trump watched the game alongside FIFA President Gianni Infantino and then took centre stage when the trophy was given to Chelsea
'I wanted to create something that captures all of it - the passion, the nerves, the pride and the majesty of that feeling just before kick-off. He continued: 'Football and music have always meant the world to me, and bringing them together on this kind of stage gives me goosebumps. 'I know I’ll get to perform this song at some of my favourite tournaments in the coming years, which fills me with excitement. 'It’s a real honour that Laura Pausini accepted my invitation to feature on the song – she’s an incredible artist with the perfect voice.' Laura Pausini said: 'It’s an honour for me to be invited to join Robbie Williams and be featured on the song DESIRE, written by Robbie.
'The song is amazing, really touching. It’s a dream to be with him for The FIFA Club World Cup. 'Since I was a little girl growing up in Italy I remember the thrill and passion for football in my home country. 'To be able to perform live with Robbie Williams in front of passionate football fans and to be heard by music fans around the world will be truly amazing.'
-
·
Better Man is now available to stream for free on
so here’s some BTS of ‘Land of (quite literally) a Thousand Dances’ 🐵" 10% cheeky, 20% crotch, 30% sweat. Who’s watched it?
-
Does anyone know if this site is an official RW site , I see the warehouse is in China 🤔
Robbie Williams Shop - Official Robbie Williams Merchandise Store
The Robbie Williams official site leaves a lot to be desired at times especially when it comes to merchandise , there are a few items on there but not a lot.
-
-
Edited by Sydney11
Head on over to Robbie Williams Rewind Podcast where Lucy & Matt chat to Owen Parker
Link RWR Special - Owen Parker - Ro…–Robbie Williams Rewind – Apple Podcasts
We’re back with another special episode of Robbie Williams Rewind, and this time we’re joined by the brilliant Owen Parker!
Owen has been Robbie’s keyboardist since 2019, joining the band for his Las Vegas residency and the epic XXV Tour. A vital part of Robbie’s musical team, he’s also co-written and worked closely with Robbie and Karl Brazil on The Christmas Present including tracks like “Home,” “Darkest Night,” and “Can’t Stop Christmas”, and more recently, on Robbie’s upcoming album Britpop.
In this episode, Owen gives us a behind-the-scenes look at life on tour and in the studio with Robbie, and he shares fantastic stories from his career working with music legends like the Pet Shop Boys, Simple Minds, Girls Aloud, and many more.
Follow Owen on Instagram @owenparker74
Get in touch with us at robbiewilliamsrewind.com & @rewindrobbie on Instagram & Twitter.
& Yes, Owen is a Pink Floyd fan 😊
-
Edited by Sydney11
If I am totally honest this duet did nothing for me , not that I was expecting it to . I like the song but I don't think they sing well together
Having said all that this was a really good gig for Rob to get.
Desire will be used across all future tournaments, including the FIFA World Cup 2026 and beyond.
For the first time ever, the new anthem will play as teams walk onto the pitch at every FIFA match worldwide.
Robbie Williams - BRITPOP Tour 2025
in Robbie Williams and Take That