McFLYING LESSONS
Former teen heartthrob reveals his wellwishes for an old flame in her new relationship and talks about old and new music.. and touring with alt-rockers A
father of two. He released a fitness book last year.
And Danny is married to former Miss England Georgia Horsley and became a dad for the first time in January. He is now a coach on The Voice Kids UK.
Meanwhile, the bassist is happy to be Uncle Dougie.
He said: “The other guys having kids hasn’t changed them in the slightest. They are just tired all the time. I love all their kids and I like being Uncle Dougie.
“I don’t think it’s weird I’m the only one without children.
“Hopefully, one day, I’ll settle down but I think you need a female for that to happen and I’m not at that stage yet.”
Maybe it’s all Dougie knows. He was 15 when he joined McFly and became a teen pin-up after their debut single 5 Colours in Her Hair went to No1 in the UK.
They went on to have a further six UK No1 singles and two No1 albums before they went on hiatus in 2013. They teamed up with two of Busted the next year as McBusted.
Earlier this year, when Dougie announced a new band Ink, fans begged McFly to admit they’d split but the bassist is adamant the group are going to record again. Later in our chat he admitted he would be recording next year – but didn’t say with whom.
He said: “It’s something we talk about almost every day. Hopefully the stars and the calendars will align.
“The boys in McFly are my family. I left home at 15 to move in with them and they taught me how to shave.
“My dad left my mum two weeks before I joined the band, so they became my older brothers through that time. That is a bond that will never be broken.”
With McFly raising kids and McBusted parked for the foreseeable future, Dougie has to get his musical kicks elsewhere.
Next month he joins alt-rockers A on a UK tour, including a gig at Glasgow’s Garage on November 16.
The band will be playing their best known album Hi-Fi Serious, which included top 10 hit Nothing.
Dougie has known the band since he was 17. Frontman Jason Perry turned producer in the noughties and worked on McFly’s albums, Motion in the Ocean, Radio: ACTIVE and Above the Noise.
The McFly bassist joined A for their Download performance this summer and is hoping their fans take to him in the intimate shows of next month’s tour.
He laughed: “I don’t know how they’ll take me. I do have an annoying stage presence running about and playing a pink bass with LEDs on it.
“But I love A. I was a big fan of their music and remember Hi-Fi Serious CDs circulating in the classroom at school, so it’s really cool to play the songs with them.”
He doesn’t rule out recording new music with A but is more hazy with his other band Ink, who cancelled a tour this year. It seems he doesn’t know what’s happening but added: “I don’t really look that far these days”.
One place he does look to though is Scotland and he comes up here regularly – to visit Edinburgh.
Dougie said: “It’s probably my favourite city. I usually come up in the winter and visit. It’s the shape of the city, the colour, the castle.. there’s something about Edinburgh I’m drawn to.
“I think it’s a good place to spend winter. It feels cosy.”
Dougie will be playing with A at their Glasgow Garage gig on November 16. Tickets via www.myticket.co.uk