Taken from this week’s Future Pop mailer. Click here to subscribe.
When I heard that Louis Walsh was launching a new boyband, I didn’t expect them to be going anywhere near the charts, but I’d forgotten that Louis is viewed as a real pop industry heavyweight in Ireland. The band, who are called HomeTown, have just had their second Irish no.1. HomeTown are a mismatched bunch of gawky young lads, quite similar to Louis’ X Factor group Stereo Kicks, but with six members, not eight. The cover of All of Me they performed on Irish TV was vocally acceptable, but again very X Factor, not coming across like a polished, major label-developed pop act. However, I was pleasantly surprised by their singles, Where I Belong and Cry For Help, which are exactly where I would pitch a new Irish boyband (or a Niall Horan solo career) musically: The Vamps-meets-Westlife. I’m dubious about their chances of UK success in a crowded boyband market, but I’d love to see an Irish pop scene develop, like there was in the ‘90s. Now we have the Westlife, please can we have the B*Witched and Samantha Mumba?
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4y4wRreMPco]