So Girls Aloud are back together then? Sorry, correction, they never actually split up in the first place, did they? They were just “taking a break to focus on solo projects”. Cheryl Cole had her judging stint on the X Factor, a well-milked divorce in the public eye, as well as a somewhat successful solo career to keep her busy. Kimberley Walsh made waves in London’s West End performing in Shrek: the Musical and is currently competing on this year’s series of Strictly Come Dancing. Nicola Roberts brought out her own range of make-up, Dainty Doll, specifically for pale-skinned girls and tried, (emphasis on the word ‘tried’) to follow in bandmate Cheryl’s solo footsteps but failed miserably. Oh, and then there were the other two…
A band reforming can be a controversial issue. Fans can never be 100% sure if behind the smiles and the “all of a sudden we’re the best of friends” image there lies a cynical plan to make lots of money, and quick. Another girl group who recently dusted off their microphones are The Spice Girls. The 90’s five some re-grouped for one night only, much to the delight of their millions of ziggah-zig-ah-ers. Following weeks of speculation, hype and interviews from the five girls talking about how much they love to work together they sang at London’s Olympic Closing Ceremony.
Almost immediately after their performance the cattiness began. Mel B took to her Twitter account to talk about how much she loves all her fellow bandmates. Well all bar one. Once the job was done and the money was firmly in her back pocket Scary Spice thought little of publicly shunning co-Spice Girl, Victoria Beckham, labelling her a “face-ache” and “no fun to be around”. So much for Girl Power, eh?
However, it is not all backstabbing and unruly jealousy when it comes to group reformation. British boy band Take That woke up from a ten-year hibernation in 2006, took a close look at their bank accounts and decided it was about time they released new material. Although they were still one Robbie Williams-shaped member short the group achieved roaring success, scoring a string of chart hits across the UK and Europe, taking their number of records sold to 45 million worldwide. Williams soon got sniff of Take That’s achievement as a ‘man-band’ and licked some serious arse until he was allowed rejoin the group in 2010. The band have since gone on to become the best of friends once more and currently hold the record for the fastest selling UK tour ever and are Amazon’s top-selling music artists of all time.
Although a large number of bands have announced comebacks in recent years, (90s one-hit-wonders B*Witched are even rumoured to be getting back into their double denims), few have made an outstanding mark on the music industry. Blur were given a prime opportunity to bounce back and amaze in 2009, but many argue that they failed to do so. Maybe what was perfect in the past should be left untouched?
Many jaws hit the floor at the beginning of this month when rumours circulated about The Smiths regrouping. Their publicist has since gone on to say that, “The Smiths are never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever going to reunite – ever.” So that’s us told then. Perhaps money-making, lovey-dovey reunions only belong in the world of pop – for now anyway.
Megan Ecock
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