LIVE REVIEW: McFly, Twin Atlantic, Southampton Summer Sessions, Guildhall Square, 22/06/2025
Photo Credit: Jack Delve
As part of the TK Maxx Presents Summer Sessions, McFly took over Guildhall Square in Southampton for a sold-out show and we were there to witness the action.
One of tonight’s supports was Scottish outfit Twin Atlantic, having recently seen them at Slam Dunk we knew we were in for a treat. Opening with latest single Salvation, it was a slot start to get the crowd on board. Throw in some questionable sound quality thanks to the windier open surroundings and it was less than an ideal start for the band during No Sleep. However as their set progressed, the crowd participation and sound quality thankfully improved as they dedicated Meltdown to ‘our brothers in McFly, it’s an honour and privilege to be supporting them’ along with an apology for Sam McTrusty’s swearing…Heading towards the end of their set, stand out moments came with Barcelona as we saw younger members of the crowd getting involved, singing along and seeing one of Scotland’s finest. Closing with the only track worthy it was Heart and Soul, with the band’s biggest sing-along chorus to date. It was rocky, slick and a brilliant warm up for McFly.
After a crowd sing-along to Bohemian Rhapsody, Livin’ On A Prayer and YMCA, we were suitably hyped for McFly to head to the stage.
With Guildhall Square packed from side to side and front to back, it was finally time for McFly to take to the stage in big fashion. The guitar led introduction, into aptly named Where Did All The Guitars Go? (spoiler: they were on their way!) marked their arrival to a slightly more tame audience. The joy of McFly is that you will know some of their songs, their biggest hits so to speak and find it impossible to not singalong without a car in the world. Take Star Girl, the crowd woke up and it was the opportunity for the trio of Dougie Poynter, Danny Jones and Tom Fletcher to show off their synchronised dance moves. As we all screamed along to ‘Galaxy Defenders stay forever!’ there was a true air of nostalgia which continued into That Girl.
Having been a band for twenty-three years, with seven albums behind them they offered up a discography spanning setlist and a masterclass in performing. One For The Radio and I Wanna Hold You, show both the pop and also the rock side of the band merged in with earworm choruses. As we looked around fans both young and old were having the time of their lives, dancing, singing and appreciating the longevity of the bands music. A standout example of this was during Obviously, where the bridge and closing ring out of ‘Never will be good enough for her’ was led solely by the fans in tuneful fashion.
The setlist took us on a bit of a rollercoaster, from the darkness of unexpected addition Transylvania with some messy split crowd singalongs led by Danny Jones, to an upbeat, summery mix of Everybody Knows into various covers including previously heard YMCA and Livin’ On A Prayer. They were truly offering up something for everyone and having the best time on stage whilst doing so.
Heading towards the end of their main set, All About You turned the dancing into a sea of love as people embraced those important to them whether romantic, family or friends there was a true sense of magic in the air and a whole lot of serenading everywhere we look, it was a truly lovely moment. Turning everything red for Danny’s song Red, it felt like we’d headed to a totally different concert, a full blown rock affair from soft dual vocals showed during the night by Tom and Danny to a one man focus. As they asked for the crowd to give them all their energy, in return for the quartet doing the same, Southampton understood the assignment and shook the ground with their energy which could have shaken Guildhall to rubble.
With just three songs left, they chose lesser known numbers Forever’s Not Enough and Honey I’m Home which toned down the energy where we’d have hoped for a power trio to round off our tonight even if vocally these were the strongest moments of the night. Explaining that being in McFly is the best job in the universe, there was only one song worthy of closing tonight’s set…. The song that started it all for the band 5 Colours In Her Hair! Wherever we looked, there was jumping, dancing, singing as the iconic introduction kicked in. Spicing it up by intwining Metallica’s Master of Puppets guitar riff this was more than an unexpected moment but those rockers in the audience got a fix and a reminder of the diversity of the quartets sound. What a band!
McFly are truly here forever. They’ll be heading out on tour for the Busted Vs McFly tour later this year and we can’t wait to see two pop legends on one night!
Written By: Nicola Craig
