There was a new pop sensation in the UK 30 years ago - Take That.
The all-singing, all-dancing five-piece put together in 1990 by manager Nigel Martin-Smith had drawn sneers from some music fans for being a manufactured boy band. But Gary Barlow, Mark Owen, Robbie Williams, Jason Orange and Howard Donald would have the last laugh, dominating the domestic pop market in the first half of the decade.
On November 2, 1992, the lads - who were aged between 18 and 21 - rocked up at Newcastle City Hall on the opening night of their sell-out Take That & Party UK Tour. It was the breakthrough year for the band, and they would release no fewer than five singles, three of them reaching the top 10, with a cover of the Barry Manilow classic Could It Be Magic just missing out on the top spot at Christmas. (There would be plenty of number ones further down the line).
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Before the City Hall show, our sister title, The Journal, interviewed fans - all teenage girls - who'd been hanging around outside the venue since 11am and asked them what made Take That so special. "They have gorgeous bums and they can sing," reckoned Denise, 15, from Fenham. Kirsty, 15, who'd travelled up with her mate Stephanie from Billingham said: "When I see them I go mad, I feel like fainting. They have this effect on me and it's wonderful."
Many of the girls had plastic dummies hung around their neck, just like their heroes - and whistles to grab the band members' attention on stage. Any boyfriends had stayed at home. As Gillian, 17, from Chapel Park pointed out: "They take second place and they know what they can do it they don't like it!"
As for the show, our somewhat bemused reviewer declared: "Take That turn out to be five athletic young men with a muscular line in choreography and a vocal style to match. An anonymous seven-piece band provided the instrumentation to their chant-along repertoire.
"Their appeal is a mystery, best understood by young girls in the 11-14 age bracket. Make no mistake, the 2,100 teenyboppers who packed the City Hall did not go away disappointed. The atmosphere was one of carefully controlled hysteria. The crowd noise was extraordinary, the whistles and screams making the quality of the music incidental."
Thirty years on, the band are pop music royalty in the UK, having become household names and scored 12 no. 1 singles and eight no. 1 albums. The group have had their ups and downs along the way, with Robbie Williams leaving Take That in 1995 to pursue a successful solo career. The band broke up the following year, and there followed much public acrimony between Williams and Barlow.
Take That reformed to huge fan acclaim in 2005, and they have been back to the region in recent years to play sell-out shows at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light in 2009, and Newcastle Arena in 2015 and 2017.
The band operates as a three-piece these days. Jason Orange quit in 2014. Robbie Williams re-joined from 2009 to 2012, touring and recording with his old mates.
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