LIVE REVIEW + PHOTOS: MCFLY AT DREAMLAND, MARGATE SUMMER SERIES 01/08/25
Full photo gallery here
For many remembering their teenage years there will be a nostalgia attached to the feeling of the fair coming to town. The smell of burgers, the glittering of the lights on the rides, sticky fingers from candyfloss and the excited, bustling crowds. Dreamland in Margate facilitates a trip down memory lane with all of the above whilst hosting pivotal artists that were a big part of the soundtrack of those heady days for many. As a part of the Margate Summer Series line up, McFly brought their party vibes to the Kent coast.
The powerhouse that is The Voice's Olivia Rogers began the evening with a brilliant set of stylish covers and originals, opening the stage for her mentors on the hit TV show that saw her reach the semi-finals in 2024's edition with the guidance of McFly's Tom Fletcher and Danny Jones.
Jessie J's ‘Price Tag’ got the dancing going and a poignant rendition of Coldplay's ‘Fix You’, dedicated to her father, demonstrated the more soulful side of the set.
“I was not expecting this,” Rogers beamed to a packed-out Dreamland. Indeed, most fans arrived early enough to catch both supporting sets, evidently in the party mood from early on.
Sam Ryder wore his signature wide grin for the entirety of his performance, a masterclass in passion and showmanship, sailing through the funky, the rocky and the soaring elements of his sound. Awash with new and upcoming tracks including ‘The Feeling Never Went Away’ and ‘Heartland’, the latter also the title of his upcoming album.
“I don't think in all the years I've been gigging I've ever heard the crowd in unison yell at us to turn the bass down!” Ryder laughed as the sound desk obliged the audiences’ mass request and he and his band launched into ‘Better Man’- with just a little less bass.
Wrapping up with the unforgettable ‘SPACE MAN’, Ryder certainly did a stellar job of warming the crowd, leaving the stage with all the love and joy he puts out during his performance reflected right back.
“We've been a band for almost 22 years,” McFly's Tom Fletcher reminded the gathered fans. This long career can be seen in the generations visible at any McFly show. The kids that worshiped the pop-band back in the early 2000's grew up and now dance alongside their own children, everyone adorned in past tour t-shirts, waving heart shaped neon light sticks.
The set-list of a legacy band like McFly must be a challenge to curate. Still endeavouring to put out new music- the latest of which- 2023 album ‘Power to Play’, reached number 2 in the album charts, proving the energetic quartet still have the chops to write engaging pop that appeals throughout the ages.
At Dreamland the energy never dipped, partly due to that carefully selected back-catalogue, but also down to the almost unbelievable stamina the four demonstrate for putting on an engaging and gleeful show, start to finish. Even through sickness and injury the band's ethos is- the show must go on. Indeed, Fletcher almost didn't make it to Margate due to a nasty eye infection that bassist Dougie Poynter informed the fans actually led to Fletcher enduring injections in his eyeball to get on stage that night- ouch!
As the band line up for their signature kick line during ‘Star Girl’ fever pitch is attained and the dancing really kicks off.
Oldies- ‘That Girl’ and ‘Obviously’ are some of the favourites of the night- the tracks that were the soundtrack of teenage bedroom singalongs translated into family dance sessions.
During ‘Everybody Knows’ Danny Jones gave us a fun middle 8 breakdown that consisted of everything from Bon Jovi's ‘Livin’ on a Prayer’ through Oasis's ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Star’, finishing on the classic ‘Twist and Shout’. A riotous and joyful adaptation of an already effervescent song.
Blasting through even more massive tracks like the iconic ‘All About You’ and intense ‘Red’ McFly drew the night to a close with the universally recognisable ‘Five Colours In Her Hair’, taking the people of Margate right back to the beginning of an almost 22-year musical journey of delight and wonder.
Words and photos: Imogen Bird
Full setlist below:
Where Did All the Guitars Go?
Land of the Bees
Star Girl
That Girl
One for the Radio
I Wanna Hold You
Obviously
I'II Be OK
Transylvania
Everybody Knows / Livin' on a Prayer / I Wanna Dance with Somebody / Radio Ga Ga / Twist and Shout / Rock N Roll Star
Happiness
Room on the 3rd Floor
All About You
Shine a Light
Red
Forever's Not Enough
Honey I'm Home
5 Colours in Her Hair