No, you did read that correctly, English pop band Blue are back pushing for their first UK number one album in over 23 years. Since 2003’s ‘Guilty’, the four-piece have had many trials and tribulations leading to a significant comeback last year.

Formed in 2000 amidst the nation’s boy band fever, Blue consist of Lee Ryan, Simon Webbe, Duncan James and Antony Costa. With Ryan initially scouted by talent guru Simon Cowell, the 4 members then came together organically, releasing debut single ‘All Rise’ in 2001. The song landed number 4 on the UK Singles Chart, followed by ‘Too Close’ earning them their first number one hit. Debut album ‘All Rise’ entered the charts at number two in 2001, reaching first place after several months.

They carved a niche for themselves away from tamer acts like Westlife and Boyzone, performing songs that showcased each member’s unique voice and utilising more of an R’n’B edge to their sound. Their next two albums, 2002’s ‘One Love’ and 2003’s ‘Guilty’ both also cracked the top spot in the charts, while spawning multiple successful singles. ‘One Love’  brought the unforgettable title track, as well as ‘Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word’, a cover of Elton John’s 1976 ballad recorded in collaboration with him.

After such a strong start to their careers, their star stopped shining following 2004’s greatest hits album ‘Best Of Blue’, before an ensuing hiatus in 2005 while members pursued solo projects and other ambitions. They came back as the UK’s Eurovision Song Contest entry in 2011, finishing in tenth place with song ‘I Can’. Then in 2015, they were dropped by record label Sony Music, following poor performance by album ‘Colours’. The intervening years between 2005 and now also brought several limp singles, reality TV embarrassment, guest appearances switching Christmas lights on, and nostalgic tours with other boy and girl groups from their era.

With seventh album ‘Reflections’, the band has tapped into a new level of creativity, with the members contributing to writing for all songs on the album, a rare feat in the commercialised pop industry. They have so far released four singles, each one co-written and credited to an individual member. Lead single ‘One Last Time’, co-written by Duncan James, only managed to peak at 62 on the UK Singles Download Chart, but the album is loaded with quality songwriting and character throughout. The full track listing meanders between old-school pop ballads, and bouncier hip-hop adjacent tracks, with all four singers still sounding great despite 20 years having passed.

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As it stands on the midweek Official Album Charts, new release ‘Reflections’ is secure in the top spot, with just a few days left until the final count on Friday. Additionally, it currently sits at number one in the iTunes Albums chart, and Apple Music’s “Top Pop Albums” list. In what would be an incredible resurgence for the band, they first have to overcome stiff opposition. Cribs’ ‘Selling A Vibe’, sits just behind them in second, with Olivia Dean’s ‘The Art Of Loving’ following close in third after 4 weeks at number one since its release. Elsewhere, Taylor Swift’s ‘The Life Of A Showgirl’ is still in the top 10 after 14 weeks, and Alter Bridge’s new self-titled album is at a respectable 4th place.

Blue are also scheduled to tour the UK in support of the album, running between April and May this year.

Band member Duncan James addressed the news on Good Morning Britain (which he currently presents), saying, “I have some great news that won’t leave you feeling Blue because we are putting on a special tour.” He added, “there’s been a lot happening in the last two decades,” ensuring fans that many exciting stories from Blue’s expansive career would be coming their way.

The tour will celebrate the band’s 25th anniversary, with the setlist promising to contain the best material from their six studio albums. On Good Morning Britain, James said, “We could put your city in lockdown when we fly by on a low ride very soon.”

The group took to Twitter to share their excitement, also referencing their iconic noughties tracks, “All Rise” and “Fly By.”

All rise, we’ve got an announcement!

Tickets for our #GreatestHitsTour are going on sale soon – exclusive pre-sale starts Wednesday at 9.00am (BST) – sign up at https://t.co/NJdbW35Z6k

Then, you can ‘Fly By’ to the general sale, starting at 9.00am (BST) on Friday! pic.twitter.com/hjdYD5UpWe

— BLUE (@officialblue) October 23, 2023

Duncan James also shared a video, encouraging fans to purchase their tickets with their titular single from their No.1 album, “One Love” playing in the background.  

Get ready to make some noise! Tickets for our Greatest Hits Tour are officially ON SALE! Get yours at https://t.co/XwQaKct680 and secure your spot to see us live in 2024! pic.twitter.com/PCm40FHGYA — BLUE (@officialblue) October 27, 2023

The tour won’t solely rely on nostalgia though, as the group are set to perform tracks from their newest album too, released in 2022. Members Antony Costa, Duncan James, Lee Ryan and Simon Webbe produced their latest effort, Heart and Soul in October 2022, with the album debuting at No.22 on the UK Top 100 Chart.

Who’s got a copy of our brand new album? If you haven’t, you know what to do… https://t.co/lMCCQIfEXN pic.twitter.com/61ZhJsswXT

— BLUE (@officialblue) December 19, 2022

Tickets for Blue’s Greatest Hits Tour are on sale now, available to purchase here.

Ryan was found guilty of being drunk on an aircraft, racially aggravated common assault by beating, and behaving in an abusive way towards the cabin crew member.

As reported by The Guardian, the Blue member told Leah Gordon, a female member of the aircraft’s cabin crew he wanted her “chocolate children” on a British Airways flight from Glasgow to London. Gordon told the judge of this case that Ryan had called her “beautiful”, stating “He was making comments about my complexion, ‘you’re my chocolate darling, my chocolate cookie’ and ‘I’m going to have your chocolate children'”.

After Gordon told the singer to “stay away” from her, he reportedly grabbed both her wrists before some passengers intervened.

The ‘All Rise’ singer reportedly asked for his seat to be upgraded from economy to business class, however, due to the flight being sold out this was not possible. According to BBC News, another flight attendant Jade Smith told the court that “He told me he had a problem, that he was being harassed by other passengers, that he was famous and asked did I know who he was … He was angry, saying he was a gold card holder and that he needed to be moved because of this.”

Ryan received a 12-month prison sentence for the assault by Judge Nicholas Wood. Wood also ordered Ryan to pay £2500 in compensation to victim Leah Gordon, £750 to Jade Smith and £510 in costs.

Ryan has high-functioning autistic spectrum disorder, and underwent psychological assessments following his arrest. After viewing the results of these assessments, Judge Nicholas Wood declared that Ryan did not pose an ongoing risk to the public. Wood agreed to suspend the jail term for the next 18 months.

According to Sky News, Ealing Magistrates’ Court were informed that Ryan was “slurring his words and staggering around” after drinking an entire bottle of port before his flight on July 31st 2022. Shortly after, Ryan was refused more alcohol on the plane and told to return to his seat, this is when the singer made comments about the flight attendant’s looks.

The Blue pop star confessed to drinking in the British Airways lounge after his flight was delayed, however he claims to have no memory of the incident.

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Blue was a very popular band when they formed back in 2000. Formed by Antony Costa, Duncan James, Lee Ryan, and Simon Webbe Blue wherein high regards around the time of early Naughties pop bands. In the same tier as bands like Steps, S Club Seven, and the Spice Girls the British pop band scene of the naughties was hard to topple. Blue was a band that started very strong and did very well early but unfortunately was hit with a lot of misfortunes halting the band’s progress.

Between 2000, when the band formed, and 2003 the band released three studio albums. All of the albums reached critical success with all three peaked at number 1 in the UK charts. Starting strong early the band became so famous they worked alongside the likes of Stevie Wonder and Sir Elton John. However, Hard times hit the band and the boys announced a hiatus after the release of their compilation album Best of Blue in 2004  

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Speaking to the Sun, Duncan shed some light on the band’s goings-on “I’d like to think we’ll reform again. We were wanting to do something for our 20th anniversary but at the moment lockdown has meant it’s been difficult to get together. It’s not been easy.”. Obviously, with the on-going global pandemic, the band has missed the date of their 20 year anniversary but there is hope that 2021 will see them return. After their hiatus, the band did reunite before but has been fairly silent since the first reunion.

The original reunion (back in January of 2011) was to represent the UK in the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest (a very good choice). Blue wrote the song I can for the contest, It later appeared on their fourth studio album, that year the UK came eleventh scoring 100 points. Unfortunately for the boy band, bad news followed after their comeback. in 2015 the band were dropped by their label Sony for poor sales of their fifth album. Colours was met with poor reviews selling just 4000 copies in the first week alone. Since then the band have been quiet aside from a few shows.

An insider has come forward to back up the claims of a comeback saying seemingly trying to hype up fans “They know they have a loyal fanbase who they love to entertain so it’s safe to say it’s going to be a Blue extravaganza in 2021.”

The singer, who recently came back into the public eye through his appearance on Celebrity Big Brother, was arrested by police in Ealing, West London at about 5.30am on Friday morning for a driving offence. Whilst in custody, police further charged him with possession of Class A drugs along with criminal damage.

Ryan has since been released on bail despite being additionally charged with a failure to provide a specimen. Though he may have recently returned to the limelight in much happier circumstances, Ryan has appeared to be full of regret for his recent actions and has already spoken to the Daily Star of how he knows that he has “let people down” and that “being arrested and ending up in a cell was the biggest wake-up call”.

The singer has stressed that his plans to check-in to rehab is not a “cop-out” and he sees this next step as finally being his admittance that he needs help. Ryan is due to appear before Magistrates on May 2 to face sentencing.