My first concert was a Westlife one. I even have a commemorative 2001 bean filled bear to remind me of the occasion. It wasn’t something cool like Arctic Monkeys or a hazy recollection of Greenday at my first Reading festival. I was a full-blown, annual Wembley-stadium-gig-attending Westlife fan until the age of 12. So you can imagine my distress when, in 2011, they announced it would all be over after a Greatest Hits album and farewell tour. What a way to go.
However, the boys haven’t completely slipped through the dazzling net of stardom. Nicky and Kian became celebrity C-Listers with the former’s performance on Strictly Come Dancing and the latter’s win on I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here!
Alas, it has not been a happy ending for all. Frontman Shane announced almost immediately after the split that he was 18 million pounds bankrupt. But he’s bounced back with a solo career and appearance on X Factor, so there’s no stopping him now. That love for the music; sometimes you just can’t fight it.
