In 2019, when the biggest boy band is Korean and Niall Horan is lauded as Ireland’s most lustworthy pop star, it’s hard to remember how big Westlife were two decades ago.
As they reunite for their first album since 2010, appetites for their balladry are astronomical — they’re planning 15 UK stadium concerts next summer, including Wembley.
Spectrum, their 11th album, deals with clichés early on — the piano schmaltz of Better Man has a cringey stand-up-from-the-stools key change. Elsewhere, however, changes are afoot.
Five songs have been written with Ed Sheeran, who pushes them towards a contemporary sound with surprising energy, and the grandiose choruses of Without You and Hello My Love are designed with stadium audiences in mind.
