|
|
Westlife
To come 'Face To Face' With Local Fans - 28 August 2006
The Irish boy band Westlife will give their first live performance in Korea at Jamsil Indoor Stadium, southeastern Seoul, on Sept. 6.
The long-awaited concert was
originally scheduled for December 2003 but was canceled at the last moment
due to discord between the band and the organizer. The upcoming concert is a
part of their tour titled "Face to Face Asian Tour," which began in
April. All of their concerts have been sold out.
Since the band's debut in 1998, with
the song "Swear It Again," they have been the biggest pop act to
ever come out of Ireland.
They have sold 35 million albums worldwide.
Although they have not yet managed to
break the U.S. market (the only Westlife hit popular in America is
"Flying Without Wings," which has become well known through
"American Idol" winner Ruben Studdard), they have had 13 No. 1's on
the UK Chart, surpassed only by The Beatles, Elvis Presley and Cliff Richard.
The group started with Kian Egan,
Shane Filan and Mark Feehily, who performed together in 1998 in the musical
"Grease." They later added two more members, Nicky Byrne and Bryan
McFadden and changed their name from Westside to Westlife. (McFadden left the
group in 2004 to pursue a solo career.) Unlike typical boy bands that focus
on elaborately choreographed dance, with the members taking turns singing (if
not lip-syncing) or rapping, the quartet is more interested in pop ballads.
With their pop melodies accessible to older fans as well, the group draw a
wide range of fans to their concerts.
Now, all members of Westlife are in
their late 20s - maybe too old to be called a "boy band" - but they
are still as vibrant and exciting as ever.
The group topped the UK Chart once
again with their "Face to Face" album last year. They have signed a
new five-album deal with Sony/BMG,
and their eighth studio album is expected to come out soon.
In Korea, their popularity has
soared. As many as 20 of their hit songs, including "Uptown Girl,"
"Flying Without Wings," "Queen of My Heart" and "My
Love," have been ranked among Koreans' favorite Western pop songs. The
list was announced by a local radio program. The group has sold more than 1
million copies in Korea.
Westlife has done duets with big-name
musicians, including Mariah Carey, Donny Osmond and Diana Ross. BoA recorded
"Flying Without Wings" with the group for her mini-album
"Shine We Are!" Westlife also sang "My Love" at the ceremony
of former President Kim Dae-jung for winning the Nobel Peace Prize.
For the upcoming concert, Westlife
will sing hits like "You Raise Me Up," "When You Tell Me That
You Love Me" and "Amazing."
Tickets are 70,000 to 90,000 won. For
more information, call (02) 3473-1525.
(danlee@heraldm.com)
By Lee Yong-sung
Credit/Source: www.koreaherald.co.kr
|
|
|
Review:
Faenol Festival - 28 August
2006
The Irish lads took North
Wales by storm! As the crowd waited for 9pm the wait was
certainly worth it as Westlife gave us all a show to remember. The
pyrotechnics and after-show fireworks (as good as they were) could not
compete with the Westlife boys. Hit after hit they had the crowd in the palms
of their hands from the first note!
Over 12,000 people turned up to
unquestionably Faenol's biggest ever crowd. If you didn't have a ticket, then
you missed out big time. Once again the rain threatened to dampen the show
but it held out until the last two songs when. by then no one cared
anyway!
Westlife gave us all what we wanted
from 'Flying Without Wings' to Billy Joel's 'Uptown Girl' The boys had hit
after hit to chose from with 13 No1 singles!
A brilliant Michael Jackson medley
including the trilby a white glove act had the crowd rocking in the aisles.
It such a shame that security has to be so harsh on the night as the
crowd just wanted to stand up and dance. A rethink has to be made to allow
kids to dance and enjoy themselves.
Addicted to Love was well received
with silhouettes of dancing girls shown on large red screens behind the lads.
Even Justin Timberlake fans were not
left out as they were encouraged to join in with 'Senorita' and followed it
up by Pussy Cats dolls 'Doncha' obviously with a slight variation of Doncha
wish your boyfriend!!!!
Their Christmas No 1 Seasons in the
Sun was enjoyed by all ages as we saw big men singing along, no doubt
remembering the song first time round in the 70's?
Barry Manilow's Mandy was belted out
to the delight of everyone
Mark was made fun of because of his
dancing, he must have mis-stepped or something but I don't think anyone
noticed until the rest of the lads pointed it out - poor Mark!
You can see pictures from the show here
Credit/Source:
www.caernarfononline.co.uk
|
|
|
Westlife – Twickenham - 26 August 2006
By Craig Nelson
Cool customers: Westlife.
After nearly eight years together, six albums and 13 number one singles, no
one - not even the band - could have predicted Westlife's extraordinary
Indian summer.
Even by the group's own standards, it has been an amazing time to be Shane
Filan, Nicky Byrne, Mark Feehily or Kian Egan.
Westlife's number looked to be up following Brian McFadden's departure, yet
unlike Take That, Spice Girls and Boyzone before them, losing a member has
strengthened their grip on the charts.
Face to Face, their latest album, went straight to number one last October
and spawned a number one single, You Raise Me Up, and a critically acclaimed
duet with Diana Ross, When You Tell Me That You Love Me, which reached number
two.
A successful two-month arena tour of the UK followed in the spring and the
Irish four-piece have spent the summer winding their way around the English
countryside playing in country parks and festivals.
Marble Hill Hall will welcome them later this month as part of the Twickenham
estate's summer festival, which begins on Saturday, August 12, with Jools
Holland.
Despite the group's success, Nicky is just grateful to have an audience to
play to.
"As Face to Face was the first pop record we'd done since Brian left, we
knew it was a make or break album," said Nicky.
"If it didn't do it, we would have had to talk about what to do next
but, luckily, those conversations didn't even need to be had.
"Every other band that has lost a member has disappeared afterwards so
the fact it's worked out for us makes us very happy."
Kian agrees: "It was satisfying for us to prove everyone wrong, everyone
who was always telling us it would never happen."
After getting such an overwhelming vote of confidence from their fans, the
band set to work rehearsing for their tour and feel confident they have
something special in store for their fans in Twickenham.
"I think it's quite different from what we've done before," Kian
explains.
"The past couple of tours have had a similar sort of structure and we
knew we wanted to change that and give people something new. We think we've
done that.
"I think it will be slick, contemporary and a bit more sophisticated -
we just hope the fans enjoy it."
Westlife, Marble Hill Hall, Twickenham, Saturday, August 26, £35. Other
concerts include Jools Holland, Saturday, August 12, £27, A Tribute to Dirty
Dancing, Saturday, August 19, £26, and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra's
Last Night of the Proms, Sunday, August 27, £22.50. Concessions on all shows.
Doors 5.30pm, show 7.30pm. Visit picnicconcerts.com or call 0870 333 6206.
Credit/Source:This Is Local London
|
|
|
Still ‘Westlife’ And
kicking! - 25 August 2006
Crispina
Martinez Belen
First, the popularity of boybands started to wane. Then two years ago,
original member Bryan McFadden quit the group, saying he wanted to spend more
time with his family, a decision that had everyone predicting that life was,
well, over for Westlife.
One of the biggest boy groups in the
history of pop music, Westlife burst onto the scene in 1998 on the strength
of their first single, "Swear It Again," which went straight
to the top of the Irish and UK
charts. And just when everyone was thinking that Westlife was about to become
another flash in the pan, the group – then composed of Kian Egan, Mark
Feehily, Shane Filna, Nicky Byrne and Bryan McFadden –
proved they weren’t with the success of their second single, "If I
Let You Go," which entered the charts at number one, followed by "Flying
Without Wings." In 2000, their double A–side single "I Have
A Dream/Seasons In The Sun" knocked Cliff Richard’s "Millennium
Prayer" off the top spot and established Westlife as the biggest
boyband act ever, with countless awards, hit songs and nearly 40 million
albums sold worldwide, including the Philippines.
When Bryan quit the band and launched a solo
career, changing the spelling of his first name back to its original 'Brian’
after his marriage went on the blink, everyone thought it was the end of
Westlife.
But the boys weren’t going to give up
that easily. Less than a month after Bryan’s
departure, Westlife kicked off its fourth arena tour. They released "Allow
Us To Be Frank," a Rat Pack–inspired album, later in the year.
Last year – after a well–deserved
four–month break – they came back with "You Raise Me Up," a
over of a Secret Garden song, the first single off their current album
"Face to Face." In November, 2005, both the album and the
single were at number one in the UK charts, making Westlife the
number one band in the world. It was the first time ever that the band had
held both top album and single position in the same week.
They think that kind a break was the
best thing they ever did for themselves. "I think the break did us
good," says Nicky. "We still look at ourselves as the luckiest band
in the world, but when you do something so long and so frequently, you’re
bound to need time to recharge your batteries."
Having outlasted just about every
other boy-band in the music business, the members of Westlife continue to
laugh off any speculation of a split–up, claiming their goal is to score at
least 20 UK number one singles.
They’re well on their way to doing
that, and they’ve still got plenty of fight in them, say the band’s four
remaining members.
They’re very excited about their
"Face to Face" album, which they think is one of their best ever –
and considering the amount and quality of songs the group has one since 1988,
that’s saying a lot. "I think this album shows that Westlife is back in
a big way. It’s got the best material we’ve ever released," says Shane
confidently.
And just to prove that there’s still a
lot of life to Westlife, Kian, Shane, Nicky and Mark have hit the road again.
The guys are due in Manila for a
one–night-only concert – presented by PLDT, Nautica Watches and Skechers
with Time Depot, PCSO, PLDT MyMusic, E–Aji, Araneta
Center, Video
City and Crowne Plaza
as major sponsor – on Sept. 4 at the Araneta Coliseum. Billed
"Face to Face in Manila," the
concert is being mounted by Viva Concerts, the same group that brought
Manila audiences The Blackeyed Peas,
among other foreign acts.
The show will give Pinoy fans of
Westlife a chance to reconnect with the group. They’ll also get to hear the
group perform many of its hit songs, including those from their new album.
Tickets for Westlife’s Manila concert are available at all SM Ticketnet
outlets and the Araneta Coliseum Box Office.
"Face to Face in Manila" will prove, once and for all,
that despite its doubters, Westlife is still the pop world’s biggest and
best.
Credit/Source: www.mb.com.ph
|
|
|
A Glorious Night For A Rain Dance... - 25 August
2006
Chester Chronicle
SIX thousand plastic macs were a
last-minute purchase by organisers of Chester
racecourse's first large-scale music event.
Chester Live 06, with chart-top-ping
Irish boy-band Westlife and the legendary Van Morrison, took place on what
must have been the wettest weekend of the summer.
'The weather did keep some people away
but guests still turned up on the night for tickets,' said events manager
Shelley Curry.
'We were delighted with the attendance
for both concerts and I have already received a number of letters saying that
this is just what Chester
needs.'
After a continuous downpour throughout
the day on Saturday, the rain eventually stopped just an hour before 5,300
people filed into the newly created all-seater arena to see headliners
Westlife, supported by female singers Jade and Louise Setara
Numbers only just exceeded the
previous night's audience of 4,500 people who braved the elements to watch
Van Morrison supported by Paul Carrack of Mike and the Mechanics.
'We did budget for 8,000 tickets on
both nights but CMP Entertainment and Chester
Race-course are absolutely delighted with the numbers.
'In retrospect this probably wasn't
the best time of the year for the event as a lot of people are on annual
leave but because of the fantastic feedback we would look at doing something
even bigger next year,' Shelley added.
Credit/Source: http://iccheshireonline.icnetwork.co.uk
|
|
|
Record Sales For Faenol Festival - 25 August
2006
Article shortened
By Eryl Crump, Daily Post
BRYN Terfel's seventh Faenol Festival
has already sold more tickets than any previous festival and that's with over
24 hours to go before the start.
The opera superstar said last night he
expected this year's festival to be the most successful ever.
Tonight's show with Irish pop band
Westlife is already a 12,000 ticket sell-out, with big demand for other
concerts which feature Bryn, Romanian-born soprano Angela Gheorghiu, Dame
Shirley Bassey and Blaenau Ffestiniog rockers Anweledig.
Bryn said all tickets had been sold
and warned anyone against turning up hoping to buy tickets at the gate.
"They've all gone although there
are tickets for other concerts still left," he said.
Last night, as final preparations were
made to the site near Bangor,
he said: "Its going to be a cracking festival this year. I've wanted
Shirley Bassey and Tom Jones, the top two names of the Welsh pop, here and
Shirley has pipped Tom at the line.
Bryn said he has sung with many of
this year's performers.
"I sung with Westlife at
Gothen-burg when the Korean president was awarded the Nobel peace
prize," he said.
"They were touring this year so
they were available. And of course I sang with Shirley Bassey at the opening
of the Rugby World Cup in 1999."
…
He said the sales were not just down
to big names headlining, but also because the festival was now a well-established
and respected event.
Opening this year's festival will be
Westlife.
This band burst on the UK music
scene seven years ago and the success of their latest album Face to Face
shows they're still at the top of their game.
They will be supported tonight by
XFactor entrant Maria Lawson whose debut single, Sleepwalking, is already in
the top 20.
Credit/Source: http://icnorthwales.icnetwork.co.uk
|
|
|
Port Gears Up To Welcome Superstars Of Pop To The Point - 25 August 2006
Falmouth is gearing itself for the two biggest concerts in its history, with
thousands of people due to descend on Pendennis Castle.
Rockers Status Quo will perform at the English Heritage property on Saturday
evening and will be followed the next night by Irish superstars, Westlife.
Six thousands tickets have been made available for both shows.
In a bid to avoid traffic chaos in the area, police have imposed a parking
ban around Pendennis Point and the north part of Castle Drive for the two days.
Sgt Emma Fox said: "Having an extra 6,000 people on a bank holiday in Falmouth has the
potential to cause major disruption. It can be very congested on the best of
days at the Point and extra cars trying to park in the vicinity is just
unworkable.
"The restrictions are necessary for health and safety and for a park and
ride scheme set up by the concert organisers to function effectively."
The two concerts are a joint production between TLRC Concerts and English
Heritage and follow similar events held at other historic properties.
Concert promoters, TLRC, have arranged for park and ride schemes to run for
both nights.
These will operate from Penryn Rugby Club in Kernick Road, Falmouth School in
Trescobeas Road and the park and ride/float site at Ponsharden.
Disabled parking will be available adjacent to the castle and a disabled
viewing platform has been built, with disabled toilets nearby.
Gates open on both nights at 5.30pm and support bands are due to take to the
stage at 8pm, with the headliners following at about 9pm.
A special orbital stage has been set up in front of the Royal Artillery
Barrack for maximum visibility for those inside.
Many of those unable to get tickets are also expected to flock to the Castle
Drive area with the hope of at least hearing the concerts.
One person who will have no such problem, however, is West Briton competition
winner, Mandy Dennison-Reed, of Blights Row, Redruth.
Mandy won a pair of tickets for the Westlife concert and more importantly,
will have a chance to meet the boys after the concert.
Credit/Source: www.thisiscornwall.co.uk
|
|
|
Face To Face With Westlife In Singapore - 25 August 2006
Singapore - The Fab Four are coming to town.
On September 8, the phenomenally popular group Westlife brings their
"Face To Face Asian Tour" to Singapore. Kian, Shane, Nicky and the
now openly gay Mark Feehily are set to serenade their loyal fans at the
Singapore Indoor Stadium with their evergreen ballads and dulcet vocals.
The Irish lads first rose to prominence with their debut album Westlife,
which spawned top charting hits like "Swear It Again," "Flying
Without Wings," and "Seasons In The Sun."
Despite the departure of fifth member Bryan McFadden in 2004, the
good-looking quartet is still going strong. Westlife released their seventh
studio album Face To Face in October last year, and has also collaborated
with the legendary diva Diana Ross on the grandiose duet "When You Tell
Me That You Love Me."
Details
Westlife Face To Face Asian Tour
Date: September 08, 2006 (Friday)
Venue: Singapore Indoor Stadium
Time: 8:00 pm
Ticket prices: S$60, S$80, S$100 and S$120 (all prices exclusive of $2 SISTIC
fee.)
Please make your purchases at any SISTIC outlet or visit www.sistic.com.sg to
book your tickets now.
--
Gabriel Leong
Credit/Source: www.mtvasia.com
|
|
|
Westlife Tour Postponed - 23 August 2006
It is with regret that Sony BMG
announces that the Westlife Australian tour scheduled for September 17 to 23
has been postponed. Due to delays in the recording of their new album, due
for international release in October of this year, the band have reluctantly
had to reschedule their Australian tour and will now tour here early in 2007.
Westlife
apologise for any inconvenience that this may cause their fans, but hope to
return to Australia for further promotion later this year and look forward to
bringing their Australian fans an even more spectacular and hit-filled show
next year.
Further details regarding the new tour dates will be announced as soon as
they come to hand.
All ticket holders should be aware that their tickets will be valid for the
new tour dates in 2007 - more details will be available from Michael Coppel
Presents - please check www.coppel.com.au for updates.
Credit/Source: www.sonybmg.com.au
|
|
|
Westlife Australian Tour Postponed - 23 August 2006
by Paul
Cashmere
Westlife
won't make it to Australia next month due to recording commitments.
The
Australian tour was to take place between September 17 and 23 but the boyband
is yet to complete its next album.
A statement
from Sony-BMG says that
"due to delays in the recording of their new album, due for
international release in October of this year, the band have reluctantly had
to reschedule their Australian tour and will now tour here early in
2007".
Ticket
holders are advised at this stage to hang on to their tickets until further
notice.
An
Australian promotional tour is being planned in October.
"Westlife
apologise for any inconvenience that this may cause their fans" the statement
reads.
Credit/Source: www.undercover.com.au
|
|
|
Westlife Returns To Manila - 23 August
2006
Crispina Martinez Belen
From the pigeonhole:
Viva Concerts—which produced the recent Manila concert of The Black Eyed
Peas—is out to win the hearts of Pinoy concert goers with another slambang
show when it brings the world-famous boyband Westlife back to Manila on Sept.
4 at the Araneta Coliseum.
Now composed of Shane Filan, Kian Egan, Nicky Byrne and Mark Feehily after
Bryan McFadden quit the group two years ago to devote more time to his family
and later pursue a solo career, Westlife grabbed the public’s attention with
their first single "Swear It Again." Since then, Westlife has gone
on to become a global phenomenon, thanks to its unbroken string of #1 hits
which includes "If I Let You Go," "Flying Without Wings,"
"Queen Of My Heart," "Fool Again" and their remakes of
"Seasons In The Sun" and "Uptown Girl." Their songs
"Bop Bop Baby," "Unbreakable," "Tonight/Miss You
Nights," "Mandy," "Obvious" and "Ain’t That A
Kick In The Head" all reached the top spot in the Philippines, where they
still enjoy a massive following to this day.
Aside from covering some of the biggest pop hits of previous years, Westlife
has also dueted with some of the biggest names in the music industry today,
among them Diana Ross, Mariah Carey, Donny Osmond and Donna Summer.
Due to the clamor of Westlife’s loyal fans, Viva Concerts moved heaven and
earth to bring the group back to Manila. Their Sept. 4 concert—which is part
of their forthcoming Asian and Australian tour—is presented by Nautica
Watches and Skechers and will feature practically all of the group’s hit
songs.
The concert comes on the heels of Viva Concerts’ other successful
productions, which include the Manila concerts of the Backstreet Boys, Paul
Anka, Avril Lavigne and Simple Plan.
Teaming up with its major sponsors Time Depot and PCSO, Viva Concerts
promises another great concert in the tradition of The Black Eyed Peas’
recent Manila gig. The Peas even brought in their own set, equipment, dancers
and technical people to give their Pinoy fans an authentic Black Eyed Peas
concert experience.
Westlife promises nothing less, especially since Manila has always been a
special place for them. The group’s fan base is quite strong in Southeast
Asia, and their Filipino fans are no doubt looking forward to welcoming them
back to Manila this September.
Tickets for Westlife’s Manila concert are available at all SM Ticketnet
outlets and the Araneta Coliseum Box–Office.
Credit/Source: www.mb.com.ph
|
|
|
Australian Tour Postponed - 22 August 2006
It is with regret that Westlife and Michael Coppel Presents advise the
rescehduling of Westlife's September Australian concert tour.
Due to a delay in finishing the recording of their next album (scheduled for
international release in November), Westlife have had to postpone their first
full Australian tour until February 2007, but look forward to bringing their
Australian fans an even more spectacular and hit-filled show at that time.
Itinerary details:
CITY 2006 SHOW
DATE VENUE NEW 2007 SHOW DATE
Perth September 17 Challenge Stadium February 8
Adelaide September 19 Ent. Centre February 6
Melbourne September 20 Rod Laver Arena February 5
Brisbane September 22 Ent. Centre February 3
Sydney September 23 Acer Arena February 2
All tickets purchased for the September show dates will be valid for the new
February dates without need to exchange or refund. If required, refunds may
be obtained from the point of purchase.
Credit/Source: www.westlife.com
|
|
|
Westlife...Face To Face
In Manila - 22 August 2006
Westlife is an Irish boy band created in 1998. The band has proven very
successful in both Ireland and the United Kingdom, and is also very popular
in Africa, Australia and Asia.
Westlife's first big break came in 1998 when they opened for the Backstreet
Boys in Dublin. Later that year, they won Best New Tour Act at the Smash Hits
Poll Winners Party. In March 1999, their first single, "Swear It
Again", was released, and went straight to the top of the charts in
Ireland and the UK. The band's success was to be confirmed when their second
single, "If I Let You Go", entered the charts at number 1 in August
1999, followed by "Flying Without Wings" in November. They became
the first number one of the new millennium when their double a-side single,
"I Have a Dream/Seasons in the Sun", knocked Cliff Richard's
Millennium Prayer off the top spot. In December 2000, however, they failed to
secure their eighth chart topper in a row when kids' favourite Bob The
Builder's "Can We Fix It" was crowned Christmas number one.
In 2001, the boys launched their first world tour, unofficially nicknamed
"The No Stools Tour", because of the band's reputation of
performing perched on stools. They also released their third album, "World
Of Our Own", with eight self-penned songs.
2002 saw Westlife release their first Greatest Hits amidst rumours of split.
However, they release their fourth album in the autumn of 2003 and won Record
of the Year for the third time in five years.
Today Westlife has only four members. Bryan McFadden left the band on 9 March
2004 to devote more of his time to his family life with British TV
personality and former Atomic Kitten member Kerry Katona and their two
children, Molly (born in 2001) and Lilly Sue (born in 2003). They
subsequently broke up and Bryan started a solo career, changing the spelling
of his first name back to its original 'Brian'. Brian entered at number one
with his first solo single, "Real To Me".
If the loss of a member usually means the beginning of the end for pop bands,
this was not the case with Westlife. Less than a month after McFadden's
departure, the boys kicked off their fourth arena tour. They released
"Allow Us To Be Frank" later in the year, a Rat Pack-inspired album.
In 2005, after a well-deserved four-month break, they came back with
"You Raise Me Up", a cover of the Secret Garden song, which was the
first single off their seventh album "Face to Face". On 6 November
2005, both the album and the single ("You Raise Me Up") were at
number one in the UK charts; it was the first time the band ever held both
top album and single in the same week. Having outlasted just about every
other boy band, the members of Westlife continue to laugh off any speculation
of a split-up, claiming their goal is to score at least 20 UK number one
singles.
As of late 2005, they have published five original pop albums, one Greatest
Hits album and one Rat Pack-inspired swing album. Westlife's fan base is
international: they have had success all over the world, especially in
Scandinavia and in South East Asia, but also in Europe, Canada, Latin
America, South Africa, Australia and even in the newly emerging pop market in
Iraq. Westlife has had sold out indoors and outdoors arena tours and they are
one of the biggest pop acts to ever come out of Ireland.
The band has won ITV's Record of the Year competition four times, with
"Flying Without Wings" in 1999, "My Love" in 2000,
"Mandy" in 2003 and "You Raise Me Up" in 2005. They have
also won 2 Brit Awards.
All the members of Westlife have successfully managed to juggle their careers
and their private lives. Nicky Byrne married his childhood sweetheart in July
2003: Georgina Ahern, daughter of the Irish Primer Minister, Bertie Ahern.
Shane Filan married Gillian Walsh, Kian Egan's cousin, on December 28th,
2003, and he became a dad in 2005, when Gillian gave birth to Nicole on July
23. Kian Egan is currently dating Hollyoaks actress and ex-member of Girl
Thing Jodi Albert. On August 19, 2005, Mark Feehily publicly came out of the
closet in the UK tabloid The Daily Mirror, and announced his relationship
with Kevin McDaid of former boy band V. Westlife will also be doing there
first Asian and Australian tour in September 2006. Westlife have just signed
a brand new five album deal with Sony/BMG.
Watch Westlife as they perform live at Araneta Coliseum.
Credit/Source: www.clickthecity.com
|
|
|
Westlife To Perform
In Taiwan Again - 16 August 2006
The China
Post staff
After half a year, Westlife is
returning to Taiwan once again for their September 10 concert at the Taipei
International Convention Center (TICC).
Their stop in Taiwan will be part of
their Asia tour, which includes shows in the Philippines, Korea, Hong Kong,
Singapore and Indonesia.
September will be Westlife's fifth
time in Taiwan, this time promoting their latest album "Face to
Face."
In 2005, the band's cover of the
Secret Garden song "You Raise Me Up" hit number one in the UK
charts, simultaneously with the album it came from, "Face to Face."
It was the first time the band ever held top album and single in the same
week.
The Irish sensation's success started
in August 1999 when their second single, "If I Let You Go," entered
the charts at number one. "Flying Without Wings," in 2000, and
"My Love," in 2003, were among many of their chart-topping hits
throughout the years.
With seven multi-platinum albums,
Westlife has sold nearly 40 million albums worldwide. Their achievements in
the music industry arena have been nothing less than remarkable. Between 1999
and 2005, the band has had 13 UK number one singles and is the only group in
UK chart history to have had their first seven singles go straight to number
one.
Their number ones singles total ranks
fourth-highest in the UK, behind music history-making artists Elvis Presley,
The Beatles and Cliff Richard.
Even heavyweight boxer Mike Tyson is a
fan of Westlife music, which he described as chicken soup for the soul or a
relaxing spa experience.
"Face to Face" has sold
20,000 albums in Taiwan since its release last year.
Taiwan fans have been rushing to get
the best seats, sometimes buying up to 50 tickets at a time. Tickets for the
September 10 concert have been on sale since July 30, ranging from NT$1000 to
NT$3500. To buy tickets, call (02)-23419898 or visit http://www.ticket.com.tw.
Credit/Source: www.chinapost.com.tw
|
|
|
Audience Go Wild
For Westlife - 3 August 2006
WESTLIFE
have been so successful within the boyband brand that it would have been
understandable if they'd trotted out all the old ballads to the Audley End
crowd on Sunday.
However, the 8,000 strong audience - teeming with screaming little
girls and grannies - was treated to a smattering of fun covers of some very
unexpected pop hits. That's not to say that the masses didn't get the likes
of Flying without Wings,
with Shane, Mark, Nicky and Kian resplendent in their gleaming white suits.
After countless number ones and numerous tours, the Irish quartet have
honed their stage act into a well-oiled machine. There were gasps as
pyrotechnics lit up the stage and surprise as eternal backgrounders Nicky and
Kian belted out solos instead of simply joining in the chorus.
Most impressive of all were the covers, which were actually pulled off
with aplomb - despite being a seismic shift from the usual boyband fare. Even
the diehards in the crowd - swooning to every gyration in their Westlife
T-shirts - could not have foreseen versions of The Pussycat Doll's Don't Cha, Will Smith's Wild Wild West as well as
classics Billie Jean and Addicted to Love.
There were costume changes galore from suits to jeans and hoodies to
hats and single sparkly gloves for Billie
Jean. The clothing reflected the tempo of the songs as they moved
from the slower Mandy
and Seasons in the Sun to
more up tempo hits like When
You're Looking Like That. The clothing almost came off completely
in one mock striptease moment which threatened to overheat several pacemakers
among the screaming throng.
The band's recent foray into Sinatra-style crooning was also in
evidence with a swing version of Uptown
Girl, complete with top hats and canes.
They left they stage to booming calls for an encore and who were they
to decline? The four superstars from Ireland returned for three more songs
and a spectacular 10-minute firework display. It was a fitting end to a
polished couple of hours' entertainment.
golda@hertsessexnews.co.uk
Credit/Source: www.hertsessexnews.co.uk
|
|
|
Tickets For The Hong Kong Concert On Sale - 1 August 2006
Westlife Hit Hong Kong
Local fans of pop sensation Westlife will be thrilled to see them playing
live in Hong Kong this autumn with the SONY ERICSSON presents: Westlife Face
to Face Asian Tour. The boys from Ireland: Shane, Nicky, Mark and Kian will
be here in Hong Kong for a one night only performance on 9 September 2006 at the AsiaWorld-Arena.
Face to Face sees Westlife back on top form, being relaxed, refreshed and
ready to take on the world of pop. The first single You Raise Me Up is a classic
Westlife song – its epic-style melody, catchy chorus and the boys’ impeccable
vocals make this song an instant hit.
Don't miss your chance to see the Irish group’s crooning of their sensuous
ballads in this one show only live gig. Tickets are available at HK Ticketing’s Box Offices and Tom Lee
Music Stores; on-line ticketing available via www.hkticketing.com
; ticket purchase hotline: 31 288 288.
Credit/Source: www.hkticketing.com
|