Whether you overplucked your eyebrows or made some questionable fashion choices, most of us recoil when we look back at our 2000s selves – and don’t worry, because McFly feels the same.
The pop band – consisting of Tom Fletcher, Danny Jones, Dougie Poynter, and Harry Judd – shot to fame in 2004 after fellow band Busted invited them to their tour.
Fast forward one year and they already had a Brit Award to their name, plus a number one album titled Room on the 3rd Floor.
The record-breaking boyband is known for a string of catchy tunes, such as All About You, Five Colours in Her Hair, Shine a Light, and Star Girl, and while the foursome loves performing their hits to raucous crowds two decades later, some of the lyrics do, admittedly, feel a bit ‘cringe’.
Speaking to , drummer Harry, 38, revealed that while he and his bandmates are eternally ‘grateful’ for their success, they’re glad to have eight studio albums to build set lists with.
‘They are very different to how you would listen to them on the record, particularly the early hits, our later stuff is a lot more band-sounding,’ Harry began as he discussed McFly’s discography.
‘The early stuff is great and successful, but a lot of it makes us cringe slightly, but when you hear it in a live setting, it sounds awesome.
‘One of our things that we pride ourselves on is that people who aren’t necessarily fans of McFly will come away from a gig and be like, “Wow, I really enjoyed that”.’
And you never know who might be in the audience, as Harry discovered when McFly played Isle of Wight Festival this year.
‘Our manager overheard Fiona Bruce in the crowd saying, “Oh my God, I didn’t realise McFly were this good!”
‘If you’re not a fan of McFly, I think people just write us off, thinking, “How are they still popular?” But if you come along – or you’re dragged along – to watch us, I’m pretty confident most people are like, “They’re way better than I thought”, and I think that’s why we’ve been able to continue doing what we do.’
Speaking of misconceptions, Harry added that it’s ‘frustrating’ at times for McFly to stil be perceived as the same lairy teenagers who burst onto the scene in baggy jeans and with copious amounts of gel in their hair.
‘It’s a blessing and a bit of a curse,’ he confessed. ‘We had success, so you can’t really complain. We released our music at the perfect time for a band like us and we had lots of hits, but because that was our peak level of popularity, that’s how a lot of people think of us – 17, 18 year olds who annoyed the hell out of them.
‘It’s kind of frustrating but understandable, so you have to balance that out. As you get older, you learn to accept the positives and not be too frustrated by it.
‘There have been a lot of frustrations over the years for us, as our success has been the thing that’s held us back in areas as well, but we’re just grateful to still be doing what we love and to still get on with one another.’
As far as doing what they love is concerned, no one can deny McFly all still possess a real passion for music.
This summer, Harry is looking forward to balancing dad life with being part of a pop-punk band, as he gears up to headline Sandown Park Racecourse on August 8.
Harry – who has Lola, Kit, and Lockie with his wife, Izzy – revels in the ‘challenge’ of performing to larger crowds, which usually comprise non-fans.
‘The racecourse gigs are more of a family show. It’s a different vibe, it’s not like a hardcore McFly gig, so it’s nice to play to people who wouldn’t come and see you on tour.
‘During the summer run, I can take one or two of my children along, and it’s like dipping in and out of being in a band for a night again, then I go home for a week and I’m a dad!’
McFly – who were swarmed earlier this year on a rare trip to Brazil, with hundreds of fans congregating at the airport to catch a glimpse of the stars – has seen plenty of changes in the industry since getting their big break.
Harry reckons their trajectory to fame was ‘purer’ than what most musicians pursue in 2024, as they had to ‘physically go out and do promo’ without the tool of social media offering them extra visibility on a global scale.
‘I can imagine that being really overwhelming and stressful, so I’m glad that wasn’t the case for us,’ Harry commented when asked about modern-day bands using TikTok for marketing purposes.
‘I think the beauty of being so young when you start is you don’t think about in 20 years time, it’s just a crazy concept,’ he added, as McFly marks 21 years together this year.
‘But I could feel I was in a band with really talented people who could write great songs, so I had this naive confidence and we always had this togetherness.’