Take That still shudder over 'scary' career moment nearly 20 years ago

Take That have been through it all in their over 30 years on the scene, and their scariest moment might come as a surprise.

The legendary 90s boyband is made up of Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen – previously boasting Jason Orange and Robbie Williams in their line-up – and despite taking ‘holidays’ over the years, they plan to be around for a long time to come.

Gary, Howard and Mark have just announced new music and a massive 2024 tour, and naturally have been reflecting on their rollercoaster career so far as well as looking forward to the future.

And, chatting to Metro.co.uk, Gary reveals there was one particular moment in the last 33 years that scared him like no other.

Asked if there’s anything from the early, cheesy days of the 90s they look back and cringe about, Gary explained ‘it’s not cringey because it’s a part of our story.’

He added, however: ‘One thing I didn’t like was when we were coming back in 2005, 2006, and we did this press conference and photoshoot – and I didn’t like it because we looked like four guys who were scared to death of what was to come.


‘And that’s because we were! We look like we were thinking, “What the hell is going on?” – and we were. I remember getting to the end of that day and thinking, “This is so scary.” We had no clue whether everyone was going to laugh at us – I look back at those pictures and think “oof”.’

It’s not just that almost-20-year-old photoshoot that gets Gary’s skin crawling, as he has ‘never been a fan of heights,’ Mark adds.

The Greatest Day singer may have been performing on stage for decades now, but as Mark puts it: ‘Last time, on the Odyssey Tour, he didn’t even open his eyes all of rehearsals until the opening night.’

Take That This Life On Tour 2024 dates

Saturday 13 April Sheffield Utilita Arena
Sunday 14 April Sheffield Utilita Arena
Friday 19 April Leeds First Direct Arena
Saturday 20 April Leeds First Direct Arena
Monday 22 April Dublin 3Arena
Tuesday 23 April Dublin 3Arena
Thursday 25 April London The O2
Friday 26 April London The O2
Saturday 27 April London The O2
Tuesday 30 April London The O2
Friday 03 May Glasgow OVO Hydro
Saturday 04 May Glasgow OVO Hydro
Sunday 05 May Glasgow OVO Hydro
Tuesday 07 May Manchester Co-op Live
Wednesday 08 May Manchester Co-op Live
Friday 10 May Manchester Co-op Live
Saturday 11 May Manchester Co-op Live
Tuesday 14 May Birmingham Utilita Arena
Wednesday 15 May Birmingham Utilita Arena
Friday 17 May Birmingham Utilita Arena
Saturday 18 May Birmingham Utilita Arena
Friday 24 May Middlesbrough Riverside Stadium
Sunday 26 May Nottingham The City Ground Stadium
Tuesday 28 May Norwich Carrow Road Stadium
Thursday 30 May Milton Keynes Stadium MK
Saturday 01 June Southampton St Mary’s Stadium
Tuesday 04 June Plymouth Home Park Stadium
Thursday 06 June Swansea.com Stadium
Saturday 08 June Bristol Ashton Gate Stadium

‘That’s true,’ Gary adds. ‘It was the opening night when I first opened my eyes [up on stage]. And then I learned to just keep looking forwards.

‘You can see it in the film. I just kept telling myself, “Don’t look down.”‘

Take That have millions of fans around the world, many of whom have been there from the very beginning, and, asked if the band believes there are any misconceptions around them Gary says proudly that their fans ‘just really want us to be ourselves.’

‘Although,’ Howard adds, ‘it bugs me when people say “Take That have reunited,” when the truth is we never really went away … we just go off and have a bit of a holiday and come back again.’

And, as Mark puts it: ‘Hopefully we have many more years to come, too.’

Fans are certain to be hoping the same – and the coming years are getting off to a riotous start with the release of new album This Life out on November 24, followed by This Life ON Tour, which kicks off in April next year.

Take That kicked things off with the release of brand new single Windows ahead of tickets for the 29-date tour being released.

Touring 15 cities across both Ireland and the UK, the trio will be joined by Olly Murs as a special guest star.

And true fans will be rewarded with an access code to pre-sale tickets if they pre-order This Life from the official store before 2pm on September 26.

Take That’s new album This Life is out on November 24; general sale for This Lige On Tour begins on Friday, September 29 at 9.30am.

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