Friday 19th June 2009 @ Westonbirt Arboretum, near Bristol
With Support From: Vagabond

“A beautiful, relaxing and unique day out amongst some of the tallest, oldest and rarest trees and shrubs in the country,” is how Westonbirt Arboretum is described by the various guidebooks and tourism leaflets that guide nature lovers to the area. It’s safe to say though that Friday night’s crowd were there for a far more exciting reason…yes, girls of all ages screaming along with some guys could only mean one thing: Pop-rock sensations McFly were in town (or rather ‘in forest’) for a special, intimate and thoroughly entertaining show.

The evening, organised by the Forestry Commission as part of their annual live music series, kicked off with funk-soul band Vagabond. Tipped as one of the hottest new bands of 2009, they got the audience dancing in no time to tracks from their as yet unreleased debut album You Don’t Know The Half Of It along with their single Sweat (Until The Morning). I can’t help but think they were a little out of place supporting a ‘fun for all the family band’ like McFly, but they still made the most of the opportunity and gave the audience a show to remember.

You could feel the excitement brewing as the summer sun set over the beautiful tree line and the crowd gathered for the main event. As our photographer Dan scuttled away to get closer to the action, I was left in a sea of screaming girls who had just caught a glimpse of the faces that were no doubt all over their walls at home.

The four piece, who have been around since 2001, wasted no time in getting things going as they opened the show with One For The Radio. They continued through the evening with masses of energy and enthusiasm, spurring the crowd on with stage banter and risqué humour. They cooled everyone down with a softer section which predictably got the typical arm swaying from the audience but the energy soon returned with them jumping around and winding the audience up into a frenzy before leaving the stage to raucous applause. This was not the end however as they returned to the stage to end the show with their very first single 5 Colours In Her Hair. This culminated in a masterfully extended ending that kept the crowd holding on before it was finally time for them to go.

They certainly know how to work a crowd and put on an exciting show; however I can’t help but think it all seemed a little scripted and very cliché. Some of the dialogue seemed strained and the jokes seemed to be lost on some of the younger crowd. I don’t think I was really their target market but I still enjoyed the event. It was certainly one for the fans and really showed how far they have come from their pop roots. If you have kids, take them to a McFly show and you might just enjoy it yourself!

www.mcflyofficial.com

Will Mulligan
Photos by Dan Marks