It’s been two years since noughties band McFly came to Margate for a set on Dreamland’s Scenic Stage and, in that time, they’ve celebrated their 21st birthday, joined the team of mentors on ITV’s The Voice UK and crowned another I’m a Celebrity champ.
It’s been a busy few years for the group, but they’ve managed to squeeze in a run of summer shows before their huge sell-out arena tour with fellow boyband Busted in the autumn – and local fans certainly weren’t going to miss out on their stop at the Kent coast.
I was expecting mostly people my age who grew up listening to the band’s early hits and were there for a night of nostalgia, but there was a surprising number of families and young children dotted around the vintage fairground.
I assume that the band members’ recent presence on our TV screens has helped boost their popularity among viewers who weren’t even born when songwriters Danny Jones and Tom Fletcher first met.
However, it was, for the most part, groups of 30-somethings who were gearing up to relive their favourite childhood pop songs, but this time with a pint of cider in their hand and a strawberry vape in their mouth.
The concert kicked off with a set of covers from The Voice semi-finalist Olivia Rogers, from Broadstairs, who appeared on the singing competition last year, followed by an hour-long stint by Eurovision star Sam Ryder.
The singer, who went viral for his cover songs on TikTok before releasing his No. 1 album There’s Nothing But Space Man, headlined the venue last year, so he was no stranger to the Margate crowd.
Along with his band, Sam performed a mixture of original songs and covers, before finishing on his hit single Space Man, leading to a spirited sing-along from those watching.
It wasn’t much longer before McFly took to the stage, introduced by feel-good tunes Bohemian Rhapsody and YMCA over the speakers.
The foursome burst out with a blast of energy, smashing through two newer songs, Where Did All the Guitars Go and Land of the Bees, with gusto. Not everyone knew the words, but the band put their all into making the lesser-known tracks as entertaining as possible.
The set then continued with a tidal wave of singles and fan favourites, giving everyone who spent the first 10 minutes nodding along politely a chance to sing and dance to their heart’s content.
They rattled through the likes of Star Girl, accompanied by a choreographed line dance from Tom, Danny and bassist Dougie Poynter; Transylvania, with a split-crowd sing-song; One for the Radio, which saw a ripple of raised fists punching the air; and Obviously, a throwback to one of the band’s earliest singles.
“That’s the kind of s*** we bring to Margate!” exclaimed singer Danny, who won reality show I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here last year, after a mind-boggling back-to-back guitar solo with bandmate Tom.
“We don’t even have to tell you to sing and party – it’s always a good time in Margate!”
After a surprise medley of covers, including Bon Jovi’s Livin’ On a Prayer and Oasis’ Rock ‘n’ Roll Star, the band brought everyone together for Room on the 3rd Floor, All About You and Shine a Light, which, if people’s vocal cords hadn’t been warmed up already, they certainly were after that.
People continued to cheer and wave pink glowing wands as the band walked off stage and, as anyone who’s ever been to a concert before would expect, just a few minutes later they returned for a three-song encore.
Two tunes from the 2023 album Power to Play – Forever’s Not Enough and Honey I’m Home – settled everyone back down and gave us a chance to soak it all in; the flashing neon lights emanating from Dreamland’s Ferris wheel, the retro stage framed by colour-changing bulbs and the sound of thousands of people singing in unison.
The buzzing atmosphere was topped off by a band who, after 22 years of honing their craft, are now a rare combination of both excellent musicians and seasoned entertainers.
The final note of McFly’s first No. 1 hit, 5 Colours in Her Hair, ended the night on a full circle moment, bringing everyone back to where it all started.
The evening was, for many of us, a warm, fuzzy trip back to our youth. But, perhaps even more importantly, there’s also a whole new generation of kids who, today, will be talking excitedly to their friends about McFly, the band their parents took them to see last night.
