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If you’re a Take That fan and wondering if to go to see The Band, don’t hesitate, just go! It was absolutely brilliant and I know you will LOVE it!

I wasn’t sure what to expect really when I set off to the theatre with my neighbour and fellow Take That fan last night. I’ve been to a lot of Take That concerts over the years.  I grew up in their backyard in Rochdale, and have been to lots of their concerts old and new.  I served them whilst I was working as waiting staff in pubs, I wrote my sociology A-level project on the social effects of Take That and I’ve even met them.  So for me Take That is, and has been for a long time part of my history. I wasn’t sure that a musical about them was going to live up to expectations – but I was wrong – I flipping LOVED every minute of it, and could genuinely go and watch it again tonight!

The show written by Tim Firth features Take That’s legendary music and became the fastest-selling musical in history when tickets went on sale after the band members were picked on BBC talent contest Let it Shine.  The show follows the lives of 5 girls who were band fans back in the 90’s and they could be me, or you.  The accents, the stories, Ceefax, Smash Hits, the tape players, the Top of the Pops references, it all could have been me. So because of that it had me from the opening few scenes and I laughed out loud, sang loudly, danced and even cried as I followed their journey.

The Band follows five 16-year-old girls, Rachel, Debbie, Claire, Zoe and Heather, for who “the band” is everything and more.  The actresses playing the young 16 year old are exceptional and have fantastic stage presence.  They win tickets to see The Band live, but after an emotional evening, a tragedy takes place that splits the group until they are reunited 25 years later and take a trip to see The Band once again in Prague.  The story as I’ve just typed it seems possibly a little dull, but I can assure you that it isn’t.  It’s so well written and funny, that you get swept up in the emotion and at times I found myself laughing and crying at the same time.

The Band are in lots of ways  not the main focus, but as they arrive on the stage to sing well times songs from Take That’s extensive back catalogue, you not only take on board the emotion portrayed on the stage, but along with it some of the emotion you felt when you last heard that song, or what it means to you. Back For Good, Greatest Day, Hold up a Light, Never Forget, Shine, Pray, Relight my Fire, Rule the World, I know what they all mean to me and if you’re thinking of going to watch it you know what they will mean to you too!

The audience in the Liverpool Empire was literally buzzing from the moment the show opened and ended with every singe person on their feet, waving lit mobile phones in the air as you would at the concert. No-one wanted it to end – they all wanted more.

Take That have cleverly arrived without warning to a few opening night performances of The Band and whilst they didn’t arrive last night there was a general buzz about the place as if they might have done.

As I said at the beginning if you’re thinking of going, just book it, you won’t regret it.  You can find a link to the tickets here!

The Band is on in Liverpool at The Empire until Saturday 3rd February and then is onto Bristol, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Wimbleon, Oxford, Woking and Milton Keynes.

NB: We received tickets to review The Band but all opinions and gushing thoughts are my own.