Red
The arena had gone dark; the anticipation of a gig about to begin. It was November 2019. A red light lit up the stage and the lads had appeared, going straight into ‘Red’: a song taken from their Lost Songs collection from that year.
This song symbolised a new beginning for McFly. It had the same edginess as the radio:ACTIVE album, whilst also providing us with something new and unexpected. Is this the new age of McFly? Is this what we can expect from the new album?
The reason McFly have stayed relevant all these years is their ability to reinvent themselves. They’ve played the part of the teenage boys desperate to ‘get laid’; they’ve written the moody break up album… They’ve taken risks, changed their sound, evolved as artists, and come back together to write a new album 16 years after that first record. That is what makes them so relevant today. This is why they appeal to my pop-music loving teenage sister, and me as well: a lover of a classic.
As soon as that new music drops later this year, this long-term generation of fans will be first to download it. But we will still listen back to the lyrics of ‘Obviously’ and ‘Saturday Night’, never forgetting those pop-rock sounds, the stupid lyrics and the great memories that go with it.
Words by Amber Middleton