February news: older news can be read HERE

and HERE / discuss any of our news items on our forum by clicking  HERE

 29th February 2008 -THE BREAK: SHANE AND MARK ABOUT RECHARGING THE BATTERIES

When the current Westlife tour comes to a close the group are taking a well earned break.

Shane, Nicky, Kian and Mark will take between seven months and a year away from Westlife to spend time with their families.

We asked them what they were going to do with all that time on their hands.

Shane

I'm looking forward to spending time with my family - I think we will go somewhere nice and hot. 'It's 10 years for us now at the end of the summer, so a bit of time off will be nice. 'We've had an album every year, so it's time to recharge the batteries.'

Mark

I don't know what I'll be doing yet. I'm going to be enjoying myself, I can tell you that much. I want to go travelling and I'm going to spend my time between Ireland and London, just relaxing.'

Mark's boyfriend Kevin said: 'It will be nice to have more time with him, so I'm not going to complain about him being about a lot more.'

 

Source:Carla @ Shane Filan NL

 

 29th February 2008 -When you’re face to face:
 

Westlife hunk Mark Feehily has revealed he wants Westlife fans to talk to him more.

Speaking back stage at the Meteor Awards in Dublin , where Westlife picked up the Best Pop Act gong for the eight year in a row, he said he loves the fans but wishes they would take more notice of what he is actually saying.

Mark revealed: ‘One thing that I’ve noticed about our fans is that they actually care more about getting a photo with us than talking to us.

’Sometimes I’d be standing there trying to say something to them and they are absolutely not listening to a word I am saying because they are too worried about getting their camera out.

‘I’d be saying things like ‘Well, how’s it going, did you enjoy the concert?

‘Sometimes I feel that they think it’s more important that they can show their friends a picture of them with us than it is to acutally have a chat.’

Shane agreed with Mark, saying that he believed there were a small number of fans who ‘just want to mark their day with a picture’.

With Westlife fans being so loyal – or obsessive as many people suggest – Shane said that having fans who follow them about everywhere can be both nice and annoying.

He added: ‘It’s great in a way – sometimes it gets a bit much bit its probably only one per cent of the fanbase that might be over the top or annoying, or maybe even 0.1pc.

’The thing is we love the fans, it’s great to have so much support – that’s amazing.

’The way we look at it is we don’t necessarily think they are so much obsessive, just dedicated.

‘Many of them buy every single, every album, every ticket to every concert and that’s a great fanbase to have. That’s the kind of fanbase every band in the world would love. We’re lucky we have had it for 10 years now.

But amid the good fans Shane admitted there’s still a few who can be a little crazy. He said: ‘There’s obviously the few who become too overpowering and come to every hotel you stay in and that’s a bit annoying, to be honest.

‘Some of them get in your face, especially some who come to the hotels, and you’re kind of like, ‘Hello again’. It’s just a bit too much sometimes. It can be hard to deal with.

‘To be honest though, they don’t affect us or sneak upstairs to our room or anything or do stuff that they shouldn’t do – so I think in some respects we’re lucky. We just appreciate anyone who is a fan’.

 

Source:Carla @ Shane Filan NL

 

 29th February 2008 -Westlife newsletter 28th February 2008

 


Thursday, February 28th 2008

‘Us Against The World’ out Monday!
Hi Joanne

‘Us Against The World’ is in stores Monday!

The unforgettable new single marks ten years at the top for Westlife, and is a celebration of the family, friends and fans who have been with Westlife from the start.

Don’t forget to snap up your copy of ‘Us Against The World’ and give Westlife their fifteenth Number One!

Here are the formats available:
Download
Buy with iTunes

CD1: Pre-Order Single
1. Us Against The World
2. Get Away

CD2: Pre-Order Single
1. Us Against The World
2. Us Against The World: Ashanti Boyz remix
3. Us Against The World Wideboys remix

Live version
Text Westlife to 82822 to get a live version of Us Against The World.



The text for the live version will cost just £1.50 plus your standard network rate. The track is redeemable from Monday and is the perfect accompaniment to the official single. Please note: this is a UK only service, and not available on Virgin Mobile Networks. Downloads are PC only.

‘Us Against The World’, the anthem for Westlife fans, is released on Monday 3rd March.

You can watch the beautiful video on the main site now… and see if you can spot yourself in the footage of fans!

The Back Home Tour
The Back Home tour got off to a fantastic start earlier this week in Belfast. If you’ve seen the show, why not post your review in the newly-created Tour 2008 area on the Forum? Find it here!

Head for the News area to check out details of a new Belfast show on 27th May. And you can read a brand new blog from Westlife about the tour and the single, over on the official site now.

Westlife HQ
x

www.westlife.com
 

Source:my email

 

 29th February 2008 -This love is unbreakable
 

 

With all the Westlife lads happy in love, the band have revealed that without their partners they might be alcoholics or drug addicts.
The guys let Sunday Life into a secret - not only do they still get in trouble just like everyone else, but their partners are the people who keep them sane.
Shane who is married to Gillian Walsh (Kians cousin) said 'if we didnt have our relationships the way they are and as strong as they are it would be crazy. Without having a relationship that gives you a stable side to your life you'd be a nut bag. I think without our partners we'd all probably be drug addicts or at night clubs drinking all night. You need a rock in your life, especially in this industry. You need that other half who is on Planet Earth all the time. The other half is that level of normality - without it we wouldn't be where we are today as a band.'

Mark also revealed that even Westlife can get in trouble. He's dating former boyband star Kevin McDaid. 'we get in trouble with our partners just as much as anyone else in a relationship - we're not special, we dont get any special treatment' he said.
And Nicky, who is married to Taoiseach Bertie Aherns daughter Georgina, said they even have phone fights in front of the band.
He said ' I always think its quite funny if you are in a room and somebody else is kind of fighting with the partner on the phone or something and you are sitting there listening, because you can't obviously close your ears. You kind of giggle to yourself, because you know when you are in that position its the most horrendous thing in the world. 'So when you're watching somebody else its actually quite funny, but you know they are going to get over it in 10 minutes time.'

Shane admits he tries his best with Gillian to skip the bit where she's angry with him. He revealed ' What I just say is, 'Look let's just skip this part and make up because we are going to make up either way' and she just starts laughing.'

 

Source:sunday life/Leanne millar for typing/Markevin lovers

 

 29th February 2008 -Irish Festival: The lowdown

 

Sarah Walters
28/ 2/2008

BELIEVE it or not, it's 13 years since the Manchester Irish Festival first took over Levenshulme to celebrate the great and good of Irish culture.

Unlucky for some, maybe, but the festival's 13th year looks like the most action packed to date, with music, dance, art and comedy events running throughout the month.

At the heart of all the festivities, of course, is St Patrick's Day. This year, it's on March 15 - shifted back two days by the Catholic Church because the early Easter holiday means the Saint's Day clashed with the Holy Week.

Kicking off proceedings this week is actor and singer Kieran Cunningham, Irish country and western players Driftwood and Grace Kelly's Irish Session, all at the Union Music Lounge.

And maybe it's coincidence, or maybe it's the luck of the Irish that means major Irish acts - including Van Morrison, Clannad and Westlife - are also visiting the city in March.

Either way, it's shaping up to be a good month to be an expat of the Emerald Isle in Manchester.

The Irish Festival runs from Saturday, March 1 until Monday, March 24. Visit manchesteririshfestival.co.uk for full schedule and ticket details.

 

Source:MEN

 

 28th February 2008 -Pre order live version of Us against the world

Westlife's beautiful new single ‘Us Against The World' is in stores on Monday 3rd March, and you can now pre-order a live version of it!

Text ‘Westlife' to 82822 to pre-order the track for just £1.50 plus your standard network rate. The track is redeemable from Monday, and is the perfect accompaniment to the official single.

Please note: this is a UK only service, and not available on Virgin Mobile Networks. Downloads are PC only.

 

Source:westlife.com

 

 27th February 2008 -Our story in a westbook
OUR LIFE

Boyband write biography of their ten years as top of the pop pin-ups.

Westlife are planning a tell-all biography of their years at the top of the charts, the Irish Sun can reveal.

And the four lads have just signed a six-figure book deal to write the “warts-and-all” look at their lives as Ireland’s most successful pop act.

The boys spoke exclusively to the Irish Sun as they kicked off their sell-out European tour with a show at Belfast’s Odyssey Arena last night.

A delighted Nicky Byrne said: “We are just about to sign off on a deal to do a book. It is a tell-all autobiography – all our stories over the past ten years.

“It will be a warts and all book – there isn’t really all that sleaze or behind-the-scenes rowing that we have to write about.

“But it is an honest review of everything we have done over the past decade, all the highs and lows.

“The highs are No1s all over the world, playing sell-out tours, getting married and meeting the Popes.

“As for the lows, some of us have lost grandparents in the band and Brian leaving.

“It is the real Westlife and I think our fans have been loyal enough to deserve a truthful account of our lives.”

Shane Filan hopes the book will give a different view of the guys.

Funny

He said: “There are a lot of stories that we haven’t actually told before and I think it is going to be a very funny book.

“A lot of people think that we are four boring lads with seats stuck to our arses. Our real fans know this isn’t true. But I think the average punter who isn’t into us has a different view.

“They know the faces but just think that we are just another boy-band.”

The crooners also laughed off claims from Sinead O’Connor that they can’t sing live.

The bald one created a stir before the recent Meteor Awards by saying Boyzone and Westlife wouldn’t sing live on the night.

Sinead said: “Myself and the Republic Of Loose will be performing live at the Meteor Awards – unlike Westlife and Boyzone who’ll mime. All our vocals will be 100 per cent live.

But after last night’s exhilarating live show, Mark Feehily hit back.

He said: “I have always respected Sinead through the years as someone who speaks her mind. Yet lately she always seems to be slagging someone off.

“These days you just associate the name Sinead O’Connor with negative comments. She is always complaining or giving out. Maybe she just needs to take a really long holiday and get a suntan or something.

Luck

“Best of luck to her. If that is what she wants to be remembered for, then I hope she has a very happy successful life.”

Westlife are on the verge of bagging a staggering 15th No1 hit.

And Nicky believes their next release could go straight to the top. He said: “We all agreed the single Us Against The World was going to be one of the standout songs of the album.

“We are delighted to finally have it released now.

“The problem we have had with this album is that even though 90 per cent of it was original, we launched it with a cover.

“When we go on to the general public about our great original pop album, they see a Michael Buble cover. It didn’t do bad for us but it was just predictable Westlife. We were never predictable in the past with the likes of Flying Without Wings and that – so we just want great songs now.

“This album is a stepping stone for where we want to be after our break.”

Kian Egan has made a personal guarantee to Westlife fans: “Things will only get better.”

He said: “We don’t have a release date when we come back.

“We’re just going to sit down and make a record – and hopefully it will be what we want.

“When you do nine albums in nine years, the quality of the songs will slip.

“If we continued to come back with the same approach we would run out of steam. In the past we wanted to release something no matter what. Not any more. We need the right people out searching for incredible songs – no matter how long it takes.

“When we have 12 or 13 great songs we can then go on and make an amazing album.

Love

“Our record company will think of a themed album if we don’t have an amazing song like The Love Album.

“And because they always do well, they are happy with that. But for us it felt like we were running ourselves into the ground and becoming a sort of covers band.

“We never wanted that image and it’s not what we are. Westlife do need a bit of a break-away from the music business and it has come at the right time for us.”

Mark added: “It was becoming more difficult to be proud of what we were doing with the types of album we were making.

“The record company are happy as long as we are selling records. But to us it matters a great deal.

“We want to give our fans quality and that is another reason why we want to take time and go back to basics.

“I think when Home went to No.3 in the charts the record company finally realised that you don’t automatically get a No1 when Westlife release a song.

“And that could end up being the best thing to come from that track.”

Shane thinks it is up to the record company to find the best original material for the band.

And he warned that fans won’t put up with another cover album.

He said: “Home was a nice version but we don’t want to do that any more. We didn’t get famous for singing covers.

“And over the past few years we have done a lot of them – purely because there wasn’t a lot of great original music out there.

“Maybe the record company weren’t looking hard enough.

“This time around those songs will have to be found because we want to make a fantastic album.”

WESTLIFE’s new single Us Against The World hits the shelves this Saturday.

e.murphy@the-sun.ie


 

Source:Irish Sun / Thanx Lucy for the scan /Villy

 

 25th February 2008 -Concerts meant to revive economy

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Harbour Fest, held from October 17 to November 11, 2003, was a collaboration by InvestHK and the American Chamber of Commerce.
It was part of a HK$1 billion program to revive the economy after SARS.

The inquiry found almost every act was overpaid and the total overrun was HK$13.3million.

International acts included Craig David, Michelle Branch, Prince, Westlife and the Rolling Stones.

Viewing audience of the concert clips in the United States was only 600,000 homes in the MTV and MTV2 networks.

They were less than 1 percent of the target audience of 100 million.
 

Source:The standard

 

 25th February 2008 -Westlife on TVNZ video
 

What were you doing back in 1998? Well for five Irish lads it was the year they formed Westlife and helped boost the whole boy band phenomenon. Westlife are tied with Cliff Richard and only just behind Elvis, and that boy-band from the sixties, the Beatles, when it comes to number one hits in Britain. Westlife's had 14 number one singles and have sold a whopping 36 million records worldwide. But as Europe correspondent Mark Crysell asks, after 10 years at the top - and now minus Bryan McFadden - are Westlife too grown up to now seriously call themselves a boy band.

Watch video HERE
 

Source:www.tvnz.co.nz /Villy

 

 25th February 2008 -So far so good for The Coronas (mentions Wl)

A few name changes, a bit of luck, and taking a leaf out of the Arctic Monkeys’ book of making progress - not to mention the importance of having good songs - has seen The Coronas become one of the most admired new Irish bands.

In the last few months the Dublin band has released its debut album Heroes or Ghosts (3ú Records), enjoyed much airplay with ‘San Diego Song’, and were nominated for Best Irish Pop Act at the recent Meteor Awards.

Last week the band performed at the Meteor Awards where they were up for Best Irish Pop Act alongside Bell X1, The Blizzards, Róisín Murphy, and (ahem!) Brian McFadden and Westlife. Westlife (Surprise! Surprise!) took the award but The Coronas are certainly not disappointed.
 

 

Source:Galway first

 

 25th February 2008 -Watch Westlife on Campbell show from Nov 2007

 

Westlife were on The Campbell show in New Zealand and you can watch it by clicking on link below. its from November 2007

CLick HERE to watch video

 

Source:TV3

 

 25th February 2008 -Westlife On New Zealand TV



Westlife were on a New Zealand TV channel giving an interview and Jess made a transcript of what was said. Thank you Jess!

Voice over: Hunky, spunky, not all that funky; clean, keen and certainly not mean. That’s the public image of Westlife but the reality can be a bit different.

Cut to Shane: Jeez, I’ve such a bad hangover; *beep* it’s not even funny. My liver is just saying, don’t do that ever again to me.

Clip of winning Meteor award for best pop act the previous night.

How are you all feeling today:
Shane: Great actually, I didn’t drink last night; I went to bed early.
Kian: Not really, no.
Nicky: That’s a lie.
Shane: *nods* I’m lying right now, straight through my teeth. A bit of a hangover today, but we’re not too bad. We were celebrating our win.

They celebrated as only Irishmen can.

Shane: Mixing champagne and Guinness (look of pleasure comes across his face).

Introduction time… noted that each of the boys said his full name EXCEPT Kian!

How big? Well, they’ve topped the British charts 14 times. That puts them in third place for the most number ones behind the Beatles and Elvis Presley, and tied with Cliff Richard.

When are you going to take out Cliff?
Shane: We need to take out Cliff soon.
Nicky: And we need to beat him as well! It’d be good. There’s a new single out in a week’s time in the UK and Ireland.

Are you competitive in that way?
Kian: Yeah, we’re quite competitive. It’s not … I wouldn’t say competitive, as such. We’re ambitious.

Westlife holds the record for the most consecutive number ones … until this (clip of Bob the Builder).
You had seven singles debuted at number one, and then … Bob the Builder.

What do you think when you see ‘can we fix it?’
Mark: Can we break it?!

The lads were signed by Simon Cowell who’s gone on to make millions by being rude to people on American Idol.

Is Simon Cowell a ******* in real life?
Nicky: He’s not a *******. He’s a *beep* ******* *laughs*
Shane: He’s a rich *******! *laughs* A very rich *******!

While they’re pop and proud, it doesn’t stop Westlife acting like rock stars and throwing the furniture out of a hotel room.

Mark: Well, it wasn’t very rock and roll cause I looked out the window first to make sure there was nobody there.
Kian: He was drunk and …
Mark: You know, it was just a silly, kind of hyper, giddy night out.

The incident came just before Mark admitted publicly that he was gay.

Did it affect the band in any way when you came out?
Shane: We got more fans!
Nicky: To be honest with ya, I wasn’t very happy with that at all *laughs with Mark*
Mark: Obviously, every boy band, there’s that thing with the fans where they fancy them, or dream about marrying them some day. I think that people like us for our songs and our voices. It's not like I shattered loads of girls’ dreams because they thought they were actually going to marry me and now I’m gay, you know?

Ten years later, Westlife are still pumping out the chart toppers. Surprising when you realise that most boy bands fizzle and die after a couple of numbers ones, rehab and a supermodel girlfriend.

Ten years on, are you still a boy band?
Shane: I think we’ll always be called a boy band, you know. Even if we’re together when we’re fifty. We’re a pop group, in our eyes. We just make pop music.

You’re not going to be a man band?
Shane: We’re a man band. We’re a young man band! But we feel young. I suppose with Take That - we were kind of the granddads of pop, and now Take That and Boyzone are back; now we feel like obviously kids again cause they’re older than us spring chickens!

But all those records and the sell-out tours don’t mean diddly to the critics. Westlife have grown to accept that they’ll never be quite cool and they don’t care.

Kian: Look, at the end of the day, the people who are buying them albums, are the people who we care about. The people who come to our concerts are the people who we care about. And it’s our aim to continue to make the best music that we can for them, and they’re our real critics!

Mark Sainsbury (anchor) summing up: And you might just see Kian at a beach near you. Kian’s a keen surfer and hoping to hit the waves when Westlife tour New Zealand in May.

 

Source:Jess/Villy

 

 25th February 2008 -Strange reflections of musical taste


Do young people visit rock and pop band websites? Judging from new figures put out by Hitwise this week, it would seem not.


Genesis - still popular after all these years

Last week, the ancient, deeply unfashionable and, in the case of at least one surviving member, balding rock band Genesis had the most visited “bands and artist” website in the UK.

The surge in popularity of Genesis followed the announcement of a reunion tour next year – 10 years after the rump of the band put out their last album.

The official Genesis site had more than three per cent of all visits – more than the combined share of Westlife and Oasis at number two and three.

The top 10 – pasted below - is a strange reflection of Britain's musical tastes – and is more about the current activity of the artists concerned than their long term popularity.

But there's a distinctly oldie feel about this chart. Status Quo for goodness sake? And Il Divo? Please.

Perhaps younger people are too busy in Myspace to visit official band websites.


1 Genesis - 3.39%

2 Westlife - 1.88%

3 Oasis - 1.58%

4 McFly - 1.44%

5 Il Divo - 1.37%

6 My Chemical Romance - 1.17%

7 Status Quo - 1.13%

8 Girls Aloud - 1.11%

9 George Michael - 1.10%

10 Keane - 0.99%
 

Source:telegraph

 

 24th February 2008 -Westlife update and tour starts tomrororw ...


Ok tomorrow is the big day when Westlife kick off their Back Homne tour in Belfast.Yippee i so cant wait and im sure you are al the same.... Its so exciting as it stands at the moment in the Irish charts... Westlife are at the following positions in the Irish charts

ALBUM - UNBREAKABLE - GREATEST HIST -VOL.1 - No.16

ALBUM - BACK HOME - No.26

SINGLE - US AGAINST THE WORLD - No.36

As you can see UATW is already at number 36, but we wil get it to number one when it is released on March 3rd.. i hope so anyway as the lads derserve it.....

Just a little update, and a reminder to say if you have any time and woukld like to send us anything to do with the tour such as reviews or pictures etc,. you can send them to me at westlifefanaticvip@yahoo.co.uk and i shall publish them on here and also on our forum..

Have fun..... Joanne xxx
 

Source:me

 

 22nd February 2008 -As if by magic Westlife!!

 
As if by Magic: Westlife!
 Later on the same Sunday, our sister channel Magic TV will be catching up with Shane, Nicky, Kian and Mark for 'Westlife's 50 Songs That'll Live Forever'. This programme starts at 6pm, which troubled us somewhat, as we were planning on watching the entire McFly countdown from start to finish over on Smash Hits at this time. We pointed out this potential problem to the lovely folks at Magic, and they have just agreed to show Westlife again next Thursday morning from 10am. Phew! Crisis averted.

 

Source:MY SMASH HITS NEWSLETTER

 

 22nd February 2008 -See you on Monday