The former One Direction star had signed on to take part in the first season of the new show, where a group of singers search for their perfect bandmates and try to form a compatible group – without seeing each other.

Sharing the show’s trailer via Instagram on Tuesday (June 24), Gibbins wrote: “I didn’t know whether to share this, but it felt weird when I’ve raved about Liam’s work and achievements for the last 15 years.”

“I’m heartbroken he never got to see how great he is in this show. He knew he had done a good job, we all told him this when we were at filming, but watching it back, wow!

“You’re a star Liam, you always were and always will be. There are a range of emotions I felt watching this, but one of the main ones is immeasurable pride, always. Miss you more every day.”

In a press release, Netflix revealed that Payne’s family had “reviewed the series” and supported it going ahead as planned. Payne features as a judge alongside Nicole Sherzinger and Kelly Rowland. AJ McClean of Backstreet Boys will also host.

Last year, the world was shocked to hear of Payne’s passing. The popstar died on October 16 last year after falling from a third-floor balcony at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It was later revealed the cause of death was due to multiple dramas and internal and external bleeding.

Earlier this year in April, Gibbins shared her sorrow with a heartfelt message to him on social media: “6 months, half a year without you?! My head is still screaming for you. Each morning on waking, I feel like I am plunged underwater, gasping for air that never comes to relieve me.

“Living without you is impossible, so for now, I exist. I’m learning to laugh or smile in the right places, but mate, it’s exhausting when all I want to do is speak to you. In the few moments I allow myself to feel love and not just loss, I can really smile at memories of us, like last year when we were doubled over laughing at us tring to make something we’d seen on YouTube, but memories are always tinged with sadness at how unfair it is we can’t make new ones.”

Building The Band is coming soon to Netflix – the first four episodes of the show will be released on July 9, with episodes five to seven and eight to 10 coming out on July 16 and 23. For our previous coverage on the show, click here.

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Formed in 1997, Five quickly rose to fame with their energetic blend of pop and hip-hop, achieving global sales of over 20 million records. Their debut album, ‘5ive‘ (1998), featured hits like ‘Slam Dunk (Da Funk)‘ and ‘When the Lights Go Out‘. The band’s follow-up album, ‘Invincible‘ (1999), included chart-toppers such as ‘Keep On Movin’‘ and their collaboration with Queen on ‘We Will Rock You‘, both securing the number one spot on the UK Singles Chart.

The ‘Keep On Movin’ 2025 Tour’ is set to commence on October 31, 2025, in Brighton and will cover major cities including Cardiff, Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, London, Newcastle, Aberdeen, and Glasgow. The tour will also feature special guest performances by DJ and producer Naughty Boy. In their Instagram post, the band said: “This has been a long time coming and it really does feel right for all of us now. 25 years on and we’re so ready for it. We really can’t wait to get back on stage together and see you all in person, it’s gonna go OFF!”

Well and truly in my Five reunion era been a long time coming (*NSYNC I’m looking at you next!)
— (@nsyncnationuk) February 24, 2025

This reunion not only celebrates Five’s enduring legacy in the pop music scene but also offers long-time fans an opportunity to relive the vibrant energy and memorable hits that defined the late ’90s and early 2000s. Tickets are scheduled to go on general sale at 10 am on Friday, March 7, 2025. A presale will be available from 10 am on Wednesday, March 5, 2025, for fans who register via the band’s official website. Given the anticipated high demand, early registration is recommended to secure attendance.

He is clearly very serious about this, and has created a new website dedicated to finding the perfect male artists to create his dream. Auditions are set to begin in Newcastle on the 4th July, and after that will move on to Liverpool, Dublin and London. Cowell has expressed his belief that “Every generation deserves a megastar boyband and I don’t think there has been one to have the success of One Direction in over 14 years.” leading to this desperate attempt to expand the British music industry and move away from the focus on solo artists, and instead embrace a boyband. This campaign carries a “high degree of risk” but Cowell believes that “nothing beats the fun of being in a group, touring the world and performing for thousands.”

However, even Cowell’s hope is limited, as he has also discussed the high probability of a successful solo career branching from this venture for a megastar boyband, and in his pitch noted the success of Harry Styles after the disbandment of One Direction.

Whilst Simon Cowell has a clear eye for success, proven through the omnipresence of One Direction, even after their split back in 2015, however his last few attempts have been less successful. His last X-factor winners, Rak-Su, had a short lived success after reaching number 2 in the UK charts with their debut single “I’m Feeling You”, but their fame quickly fizzled afterwards. Nonetheless, he has high hopes that on his trek around the UK he will find exactly what he’s looking for, and that Britain will soon be treated to another musical success.

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.

In a recent interview with plus44uk, they described their musical style as “Bringing back that throwback 90’s R&B, with a modern day twist.”

Since dropping their EP on the 1^st June 2023 Is It A Crime, they have found themselves headlining their own gig in London.

It will feature tracks from the EP such as “Is It a Crime” and “Committed.” They have come a long way from the 90’s R&B cover tracks they performed in a London car park; however, the traction has built from there, where they became one of the 6^th most watched videos on TikTok, with over 1 billion views!

New Musical Express aka NME have said this about the boy band “No Guidnce have the potential to become British R&B icons.”

The four members of the band Ebubé aged 20, Zeekay and Kaci, who are both 19 and Josh who is 22, are taking to the stage in the UK for the first time to headline at the Lower Third in London. The event will show case their unique modern twist to 90’s R&B as described by the band themselves.

The London venue is the perfect host for the young boy band to showcase their talents and perform their first headline act. The venue boasts on their site “We are a community celebrating creativity in all its forms. In a musically focused way.”

This seemingly novice venue moves from a cocktail bar, down into an underground venue with a staged area that can hold up to 230 people! This will be where the band is set to play their headliner of 2023.

The band dropped their new single called” Yeah, Yeah” on August 31st. Fans took to Instagram with their opinions of the new single to say “On repeat already.” And “They keep dropping banger after banger.”

No Guidnce are yet to confirm if this new single will be included in their headline show or not, or if fans will hear new material during their gig at the Lower Third in London.

The headline performance will take place on the 18^th September 2023 .

A recent post on No Guidnce Instagram feed said “London Family!!!! You guys sold out our first ever headline show in 2 minutes, we can’t wait to see you there!!”  No Guidnce are yet to comment on whether more tickets will go on for sale for their headline debut.

Tour dates

18/09/2023 – Lower Third – London

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The boyband’s cover of the Christmas hit has coincided with this year’s festive period. Meaning, the group’s new release may be in the running for this year’s Christmas number one. Scoring a festive hit would be a triumphant return for the group who have reunited after a seven-year hiatus.

The band disbanded in 2014 and consists of members Max George, Tom Parker, Nathan Sykes, Jay McGuiness and Sive Kaneswaran. The group formed through a series of auditions which saw over 1,000 singers participate. The process took over nine months to cement the group and the winning members were signed to Geffen Records. Their debut album, The Wanted, was released on 22nd October 2010 and included their first number-one single “All Time Low”. Last year marked the group’s tenth anniversary, unfortunately, due to COVID-19 the celebrations were cancelled.

The original track was released on 21st November 1994 by East 17 via the record label London. East 17 were key players within the 90’s boyband movement which preceded the genre’s resurgence within the 00’s, which spawned such groups as The Wanted. The original release of the track became the Christmas number one for 1994 and was the group’s only number-one single. The single competed in a now-famous chart battle with the festive anthem “All I Want For Christmas Is You” by the Queen of Christmas Mariah Carey. Both were neck and neck in competition for the Christmas number-one single of 1994 but “Stay Another Day” won by outselling Carey’s beloved track.

The group’s festive cover has been released ahead of the band’s Greatest Hits album, set to be released on 12th November 2021. The upcoming collection is a compilation of the band’s most loved songs including such hits as “All Time Low”, “I Found You” and the 2012 megahit “Glad You Came”. Along with their back catalogue, the upcoming album also features the new track “Rule The World”. The single was released on 13th October 2021 and saw the band adopt a heavier dance sound. Also included within the upcoming album’s tracklist is the band’s Comic Relief Single “Gold Forever”, released in 2011 the track debuted at number three within the UK charts.

It has been reported that Parker’s health was one of the reasons which led to their reunion. Last Summer, the 33-year-old singer was diagnosed with a terminal brain tumour. Since then, Parker has been raising money and awareness, he recently hosted a charity gig for Stand Up to Cancer. This week it was announced that Parker’s condition was improving and was now under control. In a press release, the singer spoke on the good news, “It feels amazing it is quite nice to be able to do something that is not related to treatment, it is like nothing has ever changed.”

The Wanted will be hitting the road later this month with a series of acoustic shows and Q&A sessions. The intimate tour will start on 12th November and will continue through the month with five more gigs, including two album signing dates. In 2022, the group will also be embarking on a 12 date headline tour across the UK.

The Wanted UK tour

12/11/2021 – Pryzm (With Banquet Records) – London
13/11 – HMV Birmingham (Album Signing) – Birmingham
14/11 – Gorilla – Manchester
15/11 – HMV Glasgow (Album Signing) – Glasgow
17/11 – Leeds Beckett (With Crash Records) – Leeds
18/11 – The Brook (With Vinilo Records) – Southampton
03/03/2022 – SSE Hydro, Glasgow – Glasgow
04/03 – Utilita Arena – Newcastle
05/03 – First Direct Arena – Leeds
07/03 – International Centre – Bournemouth
08/03 – Brighton Centre – Brighton
09/03 – Motorpoint Arena – Cardiff
11/03 – Motorpoint Arena – Nottingham
12/03 – Utilita Arena – Birmingham
13/03 – A0 Arena – Manchester
15/03 – The O2 – London
16/03 – Bonus Arena – Hull
17/03 – M&S Bank Arena – Liverpool

Click here to purchase tickets.

Click here to buy/stream/download “Stay Another Day”

Click here to pre-order Most Wanted The Greatest Hits.

‘Better Man’ production is being headed by Australian director Michael Gracey, famed for his directorial debut 2017 block buster, ‘The Greatest Showman’. Writing the much-anticipated biopic with Gracey are Oliver Cole and Simon Gleeson. The film will take the audience through Williams career, starting at the beginnings of Williams life, through his Take That days and finally showing his solo career. The film promises to show not just the celebrated points of the singer’s life but also the nitty-gritty parts, thus bringing Williams’ canon to a brand-new audience.

Director Gracey had this to say to the Independent about his new project ‘“As for how we represent Robbie in the film, that bit is top secret” he continues “I want to do this in a really original way. I remember going to the cinema as a kid and there were films that blew me away and made me say as I sat there in the cinema, ‘I’ve never seen this before.’

In the not-too-distant past, back when tamagotchis and rehearsed dance routines ruled the world, Robbie Williams was the face on every school folder. Much like the emergence of groups like the Spice Girls, in the early 90’s boy bands had made a massive comeback. Take That were truly 90’s heartthrobs with singles which remain popular today such as, ‘Back for Good‘ released 27th March 1995.  Williams joined Take That at the young age of 16, and remained in the band through 1990-1995, eventually leaving due to conflicts in the band mostly involving Williams’ alcohol and drug use.

Fans will remember the infamous shots of Williams partying with Oasis at Glastonbury, the event would impact his reputation. At the time Williams was hell bent on launching his solo career whilst occurring legal issues involving contract law. Eventually Williams was able to go solo and free to embrace his new bad-boy image, whilst releasing music that truly encapsulated the start of the Millennium. His first solo single was a cover of George Michael’s classic ‘Freedom’, released 1996 reaching no 2 in the singles charts. Other notable songs from his solo career included, ‘Millennium’, ‘Rock DJ’, ‘Let Me Entertain You‘, famed duet with Nicole Kidman seeing the pair cover the Sinatra song ‘Something Stupid and his 2000 hit duet with Kylie Minogue ‘Kids‘ (Williams has hinted earlier this year that ‘Kids‘ may not be their last duet). In more recent times, Williams eventually reconciled with his bandmates and since 2010 has been an unofficial member although has since hinted at other plans.

The film is said to have been made from countless hours of conversation with the star, it seems that the film will have something for every fan of Williams. Whether they are fan from the 90’s, or know the singer from his earlier work. And judging by Williams scandals and achievements in his career, the biopic is sure to be entertaining.

He then explained that performances from the band will not be conventional and instead, he’ll rent a place which he’ll use to display his artwork which he created over lockdown and at night, he plans to host and DJ old school raves. He said during the live feed, “I’m gonna do this thing with my friends. Form a band and what I’m gonna do is rent a space, put my art in there. During the day it’ll be a gallery. Then at night I shall be DJing and it will be a musical venue, something the old folks will call a rave.”

He continued by saying, “I’ll be on the espressos. Oh yes I will. Quadruple espresso. Doing it old school. I’m very, very excited about this. I want to do it in Berlin. I also want to do it in Tokyo. I wanna do it in several places. Be fun won’t it? It’s one of them things, it’s a passion project. If some thing hap-pens then great, if not, I’ve just had fun.”

As well as keeping busy with his artwork over lockdown,  Robbie has been songwriting and has created more than 50 songs during the period. The Sun newspaper reported that back in June, “he confirmed he had been writing music with his former bandmate Gary via Zoom.” During lockdown back in May, Robbie re-joined his former Take That bandmates, for a one off virtual charity gig.

He revealed his latest news just weeks after his surprise release of his latest Christmas song, “Can’t Stop Christmas,” which is a light hearted, cheeky song which has references to the measures we’ve all faced over the past 12 months due to the pandemic. Robbie mimics zoom, facetime, hand sanitizer and the two metre social distancing rule in his latest track with a line which is written in The Daily Mail, “‘Santa’s on his sleigh, but now he’s two metres away.”

The song begins, “Oh what a miserable year, but what a time to be alive. Sadly some friends disappeared , It’s never been like this before, It feels like we’re at war. So I wonder who’s gonna decide, if we can do the Auld Lang Syne. I wish that I could do what I like, with this family of mine We’re going out of our minds.” Although the unprecedented 2020 in nearly at an end, it seems that Robbie has used his time over lockdown wisely with new creations and exciting plans for future projects for 2021.

The British singer took to Twitter to launch the latest news to his 33.1 million followers. He said ‘I’ve been working on this for a while now and I’m so excited to announce Act 1 of ‘The LP Show’, broadcasting in real time on Friday 17th July. It’s a new approach to a live-streamed show like you’ve never seen before, exclusively on @Veeps. General sale Friday! #TheLPShow.’ 

I’ve been working on this for a while now and I’m so excited to announce Act 1 of ‘The LP Show’, broadcasting in real time on Friday 17th July

It’s a new approach to a live-streamed show like you’ve never seen before, exclusively on @Veeps. General sale Friday! #TheLPShow pic.twitter.com/mBMzJFtd9p

— Liam (@LiamPayne) July 8, 2020

Tickets to see Payne performing from your laptop screen go on general sale at 8pm BST on 10th July and are available to worldwide viewers. Ticket prices start from just £10 but are available on a ‘pay what you want’ basis. A selected amount of the ticket proceeds will go towards The Trussell Trust, a charity which works with over 1200 food banks across the UK in order to help reduce hunger and poverty.

The ex-boyband star is doing his bit to help during the current COVID-19 pandemic as he is teaming up with musicians, sound and lighting engineers, and out-of-use venues, which have all been out of work due to the situation, to help bring the show together. This will be a huge help as the music industry has unfortunately been negatively affected by the pandemic until only recent times.

The livestream concert will be sure to feature some of Payne’s biggest hits from his successful solo career, including tracks such as Get Low, Familiar and Strip That Down. Other tracks from his most recent album LP1, which was released back in December 2019, are also likely to be performed by the singer.

To find more information of the livestream and to purchase tickets, visit Veeps.