Flying Super

by: Lian Nami Buan

Caught playing recently in the London 2012 Olympic Visa Party with Abba’s “The winner takes it all”, McFly is maybe the new Beatles, at least according to the Guiness World Book of record who hailed them the youngest band ever to top the UK chart with a debut album beating the record of John Lennon and company.

Although of course McFly would want a different identity, as what all the bands in the world would. But whether they admit it or not, being compared to the World’s most successful band of all times, let alone beat their record is one thing McFly cannot say no to. Besides, they root from the same land, spoke with the same accent, and perhaps rode the same tube trains on their way to the top. Four years of being in the music industry, McFly still has a lot to achieve. But if your country asked you to sing what seems like an anthem for the olympics, you know you’re on the right track.

It was their debut album “Room on the 3rd floor” that sealed the deal for McFly. All the following albums would reach no lower than number 6, and even then, audiences still requested for more. So they came up with an album, titled “Radio:Active”, and gave it free as a supplement for British tabloid, “The Mail on Sunday.” They have had seven singles which topped the UK chart in a span of 4 years. Truly, they, so far, has been doing the Beatles formula right.

McFly wasn’t Vocalist Tom Fletcher’s first band. It was an another British band called “Busted”, which was formed in 2002. Tom had to experience rejection right away though, because after barely 2 days, he had to be replaced by future Busted Lead Guitar, Charlie Simpson. Simpson would later cause the band’s disbandment in 2005. Tom would definitely be heartbreakingly frustrated at the failure of his replacement had he not formed a band 2 years later that would reach milestones Busted could only have in their dreams.

In 2004, Island Records, which was Busted’s label, took in Tom to be a part of what they were thinking would be the typical westlife-esque boyband. Danny Jones, also on vocals and guitars, went to London to audition for the said band. He was only 15 then, but age didn’t seem an issue because Tom was more concerned in his unique talent above all else. Both Tom and Danny were not a fan of the singing-and-dancing boyband, so they said no to the project. What they did was collaborate to write songs for Busted. And when Busted fired them, they moved to InterContinental Hotel in London and stayed there for 2 months, doing nothing but write songs. Because they had connections in the industry, they were able to publish an advertisement in the New Music Express Magazine, looking for band members.

Bassist Dougie Poynter and drummer Harry Judd traveled all the way from Essex to come to London for audition. Dougie and Harry got talking about the band, The Starting Line. It was the first of the many conversations they would share as they were recruited by Tom and Danny at the same day. Then they started the legacy, they named themselves McFly.

Their pop rock music sang by uncanny voices that definitely differs from John Lennon’s soft almost solemn sound were a breath of fresh air for UK. For the longest time, they have been hearing the same pop love songs whose lyrics rhymed awkwardly with pretty boys smiling prettily in Music Videos. Tom, Danny, Dougie and Harry begged to be different. With the same charm your highschool heartthrobs uses to lure you, McFly boys opted to jump with their guitars and make faces that however gruesome, fans still found cute.

That’s what they were. They were cute. Maybe because they are young; Dougie is 17, Danny is 19, Harry is 20 and Tom is 22. Their music weren’t as romantic as crooners would want, it didn’t have dramatic codas or sweet melodic stanzas. No, their music were all about having fun - but expressing love as well.

Their second #1 single, “Obviously”, talked about hopelessly wanting a girl that is so out of his league. The message was sad, but it didn’t put you weeping but instead got you singing along to the fast rythm that uplifts even the most depressed of people.

Or maybe it’s as simple as having the X factor. McFly boys were undoubtedly blinging, as the british slang goes. They were so blinging that they scored an appearance in movie “Just My Luck”, whose lead was teen star Lindsay Lohan. Through that movie, they were able to release an album that would be distributed around the US. Like the Beatles, McFly was able to hit the wave in the American Music scene.

And in 2007, they broke up with Islands Records to create their own which they called Super Records. Big Heads? More like big talents that is so damn good to not be given full attention by records that can very well split them if only to make way for new talents.