Take That’s Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen spoke to the MEN’s Dianne Bourne about their major new stadium tour, a special homecoming and home comforts
Take That performed on The One Show following their Circus Live tour announcement on Friday(Image: Getty Images for ABA)
Take That may have just sent their fans into a frenzy with the announcement that they’re taking their most famous, and extravagant, show The Circus back out on the road – but there’s only one thing on the mind of Mark Owen when the M.E.N. catches up with the band.
And that’s chips and gravy back in his Oldham hometown.
The M.E.N. caught up with Mark, Gary Barlow and Howard Donald fresh from that eagerly-anticipated announcement made on Friday morning, to the delight of their army of dedicated fans.
But all the talk of two huge Manchester homecoming shows at the newly-expanded Etihad Stadium next summer has got Mark thinking about home comforts.
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He grins: “All I can think about today is chips and gravy. I don’t know why, it’s since I’ve started talking about Manchester!”
He continues: “Because what happens is as soon as I arrive in Manchester, it’s my big mistake, the first thing I’ll do is I go to the chippy. It’s the one I’ve always gone to.
Take That announced they’ll be taking The Circus Live tour back on the road in 2026(Image: Getty Images for ABA)
“I’ll go there, I get the biggest tray, I’ll eat it, and then I’ll fall asleep.”
So what’s his order? “Usually a pie, cheese and onion pie with chips and gravy, and loads of vinegar and salt,” he confesses, despite my look of disgust at the prospect of cheese pie mixed with gravy. “I know, it’s so wrong,” he laughs.
It’s fair to say the chippy teas are not the only lure for the reunited Take That threesome to head back out on the road in the summer, though.
Take That’s Mark, Howard and Gary announced the news in a big reveal on Friday(Image: Getty Images for ABA)
In announcing the rather unexpected news that they’re going to reprise an old tour for the first time in their career, they’re aware they’re also breaking new ground in a slightly converse way.
Old, yet new, and something not ever done before by a pop band is their belief.
As Gary explains: “One thing for us is we never want to feel like we’re going backwards, we always want to feel like we’re going forwards. The big attraction for us is that we’ve never actually repeated a tour before, we actually can’t think of anyone who has, so it feels like we’re doing something sort of brand new as well.
“Even though most of the show will be exactly the same, we’ve already reviewed the show, and we think we can get it even better. It feels like a new idea, something that is exciting even though we’re doing the same thing.”
A show unlike any other
For those who saw The Circus the first time around, in the summer of 2009, it all ENTIRELY makes sense. It was a show quite unlike any other.
One that brought acrobats, fire-eaters, stilt-walkers and a 30ft robotic elephant prancing out in sheer breathtaking fashion half way through the show.
The Circus in 2009 was spectacular – now it’s coming back(Image: Getty Images)
As the M.E.N. review of the Lancashire Cricket Ground Take That takeover in June 2009 put it: “What other British pop band could dream up a spectacle like that?”
Gary, Mark and Howard said on Friday that part of the reason for redoing the tour now was to celebrate just how good it made them – and their fans – feel. While also noting just how many fans never got to see it first time around.
Gary said: “Me and Howard were having a cheeky look through all the comments on Twitter (X) and I couldn’t believe the number of people who said they never got to see The Circus first time around. I’m actually wondering who did actually get to see it?”
Howard added: “A lot of people back from 2009 they’ve had children as well so they’re very excited to take their kids along to the Circus.”
Take That are now rehearsing for the NEW Circus Live tour(Image: Getty Images for ABA)
When the original tour went on sale, it broke box office records – becoming the fastest-selling concert in UK history, beating Michael Jackson’s previous record for the Bad tour.
It featured some 270 cast members, with stilt walkers, aerialists, clowns, acrobats and that 30ft mechanical elephant brought magically to life to walk through the audience.
The frenzy for tickets for the new tour is all set to be just as feverish come next Friday, September 26, when the 11 stadium gigs go on general sale.
I mean, just take a look at any of the Take That Facebook fan groups and you’ll see them filled with people saying “I’ve already booked my hotels” – this is some confidence given the tickets haven’t even gone on sale yet.
There’s some SERIOUS excitement about this show, and you just know that when the 11 stadium dates go on sale next week, the internet ticketing sites will be going into meltdown.
‘This show is bigger than the band’
Amid the big Friday morning announcement, the nation’s media were invited down to The Soho Hotel in London for the grand unveiling of the Circus Live Tour – complete with a room filled with original costumes from the show that the band have confirmed.
We got to speak to the band about why now, and what they hope they can bring with the new tour.
The M.E.N.’s Dianne Bourne with Howard, Gary and Mark on Friday(Image: MEN)
The lads confirmed they’re in the early stages of putting the new tour together, but it will “90 -95 per cent” be the same as the original, with some added surprises.
Gary added: “This show is bigger than the band, it takes you off to another world for a couple of hours.
“We’re crowd pleasers we want people to see what they’re expecting to see, so obviously the Elephant, Relight My Fire, the big opening scene with the balloon, all those things are still going to be in.
“We’ve obviously had big records since then, The Flood, These Days, we’ve got to find a place to put them as well and maybe even something new towards the end.”
It was a true stage spectacular, now The Circus is being revived(Image: Getty Images)
Mark said: “It’s a lot of people’s favourite show, it was a high point for us as a band. We’re in a good place and thought is now the time? So we began discussions about what kind of show we could do. We want to be really respectful of the show we did but once we get into rehearsals we will say ‘we can try this’ and we can also put some new songs in there.
“The wonderful thing is we’ve booked the cast, we’ve got the elephant, so now we can start to adapt.”
Ah, the elephant. Of course there was another elephant in the room on Friday and that was the fact that former bandmate Jason Orange will not be returning for The Circus Live reboot.
Jason won’t be returning for the new Circus Live tour(Image: Getty Images)
All the teaser clips in the run-up to the announcement had sent fans into overdrive thinking that this could be the moment for Jason to return, particuarly as he was such a big part of the original Circus show.
But sadly that’s not to be. Howard said: “We let Jason know about our plans and he’s given his blessing. The door is always open for him to return.”
The show will, in all other respects, be just as fans remembered it, the band say.
Mark says: “What is wonderful about the Circus is that the show starts from when you first arrive, when you turn up at the venue already there’s a sense, people are in costumes, it’s a whole evening, a whole experience and that’s what we’re excited about.”
Tickets for Take That’s Circus Live tour will go on sale later this month ahead of the tour next summer(Image: ct)
Gary added: “The idea of going and being in that amazing show again with all those incredible people, it’s just a celebration from the minute we stand on that stage.”
Mark chipped in : “I think this could go beyond, but we’ll see how it goes, we just want to get into rehearsals now. The costumes are fantastic, we went back to the old storage place and got the old outfits out.”
And Gary joked: “Surprising they still fit!”
They will head out across the UK and Ireland on the tour next May and June, but naturally a Manchester homecoming is always special. Although choosing the Etihad Stadium sparked a spot of controversy.
Mark back in Circus attire for The One Show on Friday night(Image: Getty Images for ABA)
I mentioned to mad Liverpool fan Gary that it will be a newly expanded stand when they arrive, amid the North Stand extension.
“I believe so, I believe they’ve got some fans now Manchester City,” he joked. “Howard’s a big Manchester United fan so he can’t believe we’re playing the Etihad.”
Red Howard’s response? “I’m sort of OK with it, I have to accept it, I can’t do anything about it…. what really hurt me was when we had to play Anfield, that really hurt. But it’s a great stadium though.”
And, he added with a grin,: “We know that half of the fans are going to be Manchester United fans in there regardless.”
The band are getting back into The Circus swing(Image: Getty Images for ABA)
Football allegiances aside, the band themselves are now united in their belief they can bring something special with the new tour. And fans seem to universally agree.
As I leave the posh Soho Hotel in London after the media interviews on Friday, a throng of Take That fans have assembled outside, desperate to see their idols when they make their way out.
I chat to one dedicated fan, Rita Gulrajani, from North London, who cannot wait for the Circus Live gigs to go on sale. Not least because, she confesses, “I’ve booked all the hotels already!”
She hopes to see them in Glasgow, Coventry AND London. “I’ll be trying for tickets for them all. I just cannot wait.”
Something tells me it’s going to be an almighty scramble for those tickets next week…
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