Daily Mail - Daily Mail Weekend Magazine
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don’t know where that came from. They just land. They just come from the sky. That’s the reason I still run into a studio every day, you never know when a song is going to arrive. It’s terrifying. It could be tomorrow. It might never happen again. That’s the thrill of it, it’s the butterfly you’re always chasing.’
It took nearly ten years for Gary to claw back his mojo – and his waistline – after Take That split up, but his hard work paid off as he started to write for Atomic Kitten, Shirley Bassey, Westlife and N-dubz. Then, in 2005,
Gary, Howard, Jason and
Mark got back together and put out a Take That greatest hits album.
The album was a massive success, going multi-platinum, and they ended up filling stadiums and arenas on tour. The band recorded two more highly successful albums, Beautiful World and The Circus, before something even more unexpected happened in 2010 – Robbie Williams returned to the band. The original five-piece recorded their masterpiece album, Progress, and toured again before deciding to take a hiatus in 2011.
‘When we reformed we were all scared to death because we’d all had a tough time,’ says Gary. ‘The thing that made it all possible was the audience. There wasn’t a choice. It was absolutely unbelievable. Our fans are like an army. The sound of the 90s was screaming, and we made them scream louder. It was brilliant and there we were again.
‘By the time we got together with Robbie again it was starting to feel a bit more permanent. The day we reformed we all had it in our minds to get Rob back – that was the end game because it didn’t finish in the 90s the way we wanted it to. It wasn’t the right ending, so we put loads of pressure on him. It was a massive move for both camps. Then when we had that 15 months when we were all together, it was such a happy time for everyone because it really felt like we’d righted a wrong.
‘Pretty much since then we’ve been at peace with the whole thing. It’s beautiful. I speak to Rob every week without fail and have done since then. We take the p*** out of each other’s records. It’s great. In the 90s I was the worrier of the band, but now I don’t really worry about much, except the kids.’
The band is now just a trio, comprising Gary, Howard and Mark after Jason Orange quit seven years ago. So does Gary think the original Fab Five will ever work together again? ‘I think once you feel like you’ve done it, you probably have done it. I’ve still got so much more that I want to do. But the thing that keeps us all interested is that anyone can come back at any point, that’s what’s magical about it.’
And magic is something Gary cherishes, which is probably why The Dream Of Christmas came so easily to him. ‘I love Christmas songs. I love anything that’s family, people coming together. I like happiness. I really am a fan of all things like concerts, people having a great time. I love all that, and Christmas is that, isn’t it?
‘I come from a really happy background. My parents were together for 43 years. They barely ever argued. It was such an amazing home life. My dad was very positive and my mum still is – they were never down. So I followed that on and I’m the life and energy at Christmas – “Come on kids, let’s go!” I love it.’
Gary Barlow’s The Dream Of Christmas is out on 26 November. Tickets for Gary’s All The Hits Live tour, which starts in November, are available from ticketmaster.co.uk and gigsand tours.com. Tickets for Ireland are available at ticketmaster.ie. Gary Barlow Organic Wines are available from morrisons.com or garybarlowwines.com, where you can sign up to the newsletter to receive 10% off your first order.
‘I speak to Robbie every week now without fail’