Old boys are still young at heart

By Lucy Walters on December 5, 2007 12:00 AM

THE SHEER number of women crammed into the carriages of the eastbound Jubilee line on Monday was an indication that Take That have lost none of their appeal in the last 10 years.
And the thousands who have made the trip to North Greenwich since the group brought their Beautiful World tour to The O2 Arena last week won't have been disappointed.
As a somewhat sheepish Jason Orange pointed out, 37 is really far too old to be in a 'boy' band - but then Take That is no ordinary boy band.

After a 10-year break the four of the five original members of the group are enjoying even greater success than they did the first time around with their latest album, Beautiful World, their best-selling yet.
In the early days critics decribed them as a group with a singer who couldn't dance and a couple of dancers who couldn't sing. How wrong they were.
The foursome have grown in confidence and ability in the last decade and this is reflected in the energy of their spectacular live show. The lead vocals are shared more equally with Howard Donald doing the honours for fans' favourite Never Forget and Orange taking to the stage alone for the melodic Wooden Boat.
Highlights included a sparkling rendition of Could it Be Magic performed on a second stage reached via a footbridge over the crowd and a revival of some of the early dance moves with Give Good Feeling.
But this wasn't just a walk down memory lane with the band relying on a hugely successful back catalogue - their new material, including the singles Patience and Shine,has proved to be just as much of a hit with the fans and shows that Take That really could be Back For Good.
The band, supported by Tim Daniel and Sophie Ellis Bextor, have enlisted an accomplished company of singers, musicians and dancers for the show and seemed genuinely grateful to the fans who have supported them.
They're not the only 1990s group to hit the comeback trail but they have set the bar pretty high for anyone hoping to follow in their footsteps.
* The Beautiful World tour is at The O2 Arena until Saturday (December 8).
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