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20.09.13 MusicWeek 37
RIGHT
will celebrate their 10th anniversary with four headline performances at the Royal Albert Hall each day from September 19 to 22. The latter two of those shows were added due to demand.
“McFly are great writers, performers and personalities. People really like them individually and that has helped to make them a British institution” RICHARD RASHMAN, PRESTIGE MANAGEMENT
As the band’s co-manager Richard Rashman
from Prestige puts it: “McFly are great writers, performers and personalities - but I think the most important thing is that they are very down to earth and people really like them, and that is helping to make them an institution in this country. Their new album is amazing and I think it will do shockingly well.” Music Week catches up with the band to
reminisce about an astonishingly successful ten years - and hear more about what the future holds…
You’re going independent once again for the upcoming record, teaming with Absolute. Why take that route? Harry Judd:With Super Records, it’s basically us, our manager [Matt Fletcher], a couple of other people - Fraser [Ealey] our project manager - with outside pluggers and press. We had other options,
but this was the best opportunity.
Tom Fletcher: Because we’re in a position where we can fund the album-making process ourselves, we don’t have to make compromises creatively with the record label or be tied into a deal where they financially take in areas we don’t need to give - like
MANAGER FLETCH:‘NOW THEY CAN REALLY CELEBRATE’
touring, 360s and shit like that. Because we’ve been independent before, we’re very casual about it all. There’s obviously huge advantages to being on a major label, it’s just for us we don’t have a need for that at the moment. I think at some point in the future we will be signed again to a major label, but it didn’t make sense for now.
Shine a light on them: This dark shot of the band is from the 2010 Above The Noise album era when they released Top 5 Taio Cruz collaboration Shine A Light
Matt ‘Fletch’ Fletcher (pictured centre) of Happy Entertainment has managed McFly from the start. Here he tells Music Week about his strict brand of guidance… “I remember right at the beginning, the band just had their second No.1 single [2004’s Obviously], their album had just gone No.1, and they’d just performed at the Spiderman premiere. Afterwards they wanted to go to the after-party. “In those days we were quite strict and
tried to keep them disciplined and focused, so we wouldn’t let them go. It was the first time I ever had a falling out with the band. They challenged me on why they couldn’t go. They said ‘Fletch, we haven’t had a chance to celebrate our success’. I replied, ‘If our biggest fault as managers is that we don’t celebrate your achievement then that’s not so bad. But I’ll tell you what, if you’re still around in 10 years time, we’ll celebrate…’
“So here we are on their decade
anniversary. We will celebrate like no band has probably celebrated before because I do feel so proud of the fact that they’ve been able to get to this point. “At that early stage, it wasn’t about
having a No.1 but building a career. That’s why we will celebrate this year - but still cautiously, as McFly want to continue for the rest of their lives. As far as we’re concerned this is just the first chapter. “The highlight of the band’s career is the fact that they are still together and they still care about each other. They are as passionate about the success and future of McFly as they were 10 years ago. I count every day as a highlight. “The new album goes back to McFly’s
roots, writing classic pop hits. I think without a doubt it’s the best songwriting album they’ve made in their entire career. It’s an incredible record.”
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