world tour robbie williams

Robbie Williams touches down in Sydney ahead of XXV Australian tour of his greatest hits

Robbie Williams launches his Australian tour tomorrow night to celebrate 25 years as a solo artist, but some things have changed for the 49-year-old father. 

"There used to be a bevy of semi-clad beauties hanging around me," the pop star said.

The popularity surrounding some of his greatest hits, such as the 1997 power ballad Angels, however, continues. 

"I consciously know that song gave me my career and it exists outside of me. It belongs to the people and it's bigger than me", he said.

For Williams, Australia has always held a special place in his heart.

During a time when he struggled to feel accepted by his home country, the English singer felt understood by audiences down under.

"In Australia … I've just been allowed to be the creature that I've always wanted to be," he said.

"I feel as though Australia has always seen me, and I feel as though it's kind of an adopted home in my heart and soul because I'm not scared or embarrassed or ashamed to be me here."

He's discussed moving to Australia with his wife, American actress Ayda Field, and their four children, frequently.

"We're always aggrieved and sad because we always decide it's too far … my whole life and my biggest audience and my job is based in Europe," he said.

"I think it's not lost on me that the people that I feel most comfortable around are Aussies, because you can joke here."

After releasing a four-part docuseries last week — reflecting on his struggles with addiction and rise to stardom — Williams is set to embark on a nine-show tour across the country, starting in Sydney tomorrow night. 

Nostalgia for Generation X

While the music industry around him evolved, Williams did not choose to reinvent himself like so many other artists.

Instead, he re-mastered his greatest hits time and time again, serving as a piece of nostalgia for Generation X.

He said he sticks to the classics to take the stress out of performing.

"I know these songs mean a great deal to a lot of people and they facilitate me getting up and not losing the audience, because if I play something they don't know, if you lose a stadium full of people, it gives you anxiety," he said.

More than 30 years ago, at just 16 years old, Williams shot to fame in the 1990s pop group Take That, with hits Back for Good, Never Forget, and Babe.

He quit the group in 1995 after battling with drug addiction. The rest of the band split up the following year.

But as the broken hearts of adolescent girls began to mend over his shock departure, so did Williams's career.

Just two years later, in 1997, he released his debut solo album Life thru a Lens.

At the height of his fame, in 2003, Williams performed to a record 375,000 people over three days at Knebworth House in Hertfordshire, England — a record which the BBC says has not been broken since.

Take That eventually reunited without Williams, who rejoined in 2010 to re-record their songs. 

It became one of the fastest-selling albums of the century.

More than 20 years after the smash-hit Kids was recorded with Australian pop icon Kylie Minogue, Williams recreated the duo with Delta Goodrem at the 2022 AFL Grand Final.

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At The Barrier

Live music, reviews and opinion / est. 2018, robbie williams – xxv tour, world resorts arena, birmingham: live review.

Robbie might be older, but he still attracts a full arena! Kelvin Brown reviews as one of the greatest entertainers of the last three decades tours his XXV album.

Yes, it’s been 25 years since Robbie Williams left the boy band Take That and embarked on his solo career. A career that he did not know back then or peruse to overtake Elvis Presley’s record and become the solo artist with the most No. 1 albums in UK chart history this year. 14 No.1 Albums in the UK to be exact.

The launch of Take That was 32 years ago…yes…I had to count back to when Robbie was recruited at the age of 17 then made their first promotional video. Robbie said, “ this is a video we were all proud of but one that no one should ever see ”.

With some open, candid, funny and revealing moments scattered with anecdotes about his 25 years at the top, he stops in the middle of a Take That track, Eve r ything Changes, as if a memory recall flashed into his mind. He recalled how he tore off the manacles of Take That while at his first and only appearance at Glastonbury in 1995.              

“I set off with a boot full of champagne and a pocket full of cocaine, ready to get insane and I went to Glastonbury to begin what I didn’t know was to be the start of my new life,” he quips of his now-notorious weekend partying with the Gallagher brothers of Oasis. 

From Take That songs, The Flood, to Rock DJ, to Kylie Minogue’s duet Kids; this night is essentially a personalised tour of his career, from boyband heartthrob through the cocaine years to his current station as a family man whose kids think he’s lost his looks.

The set is peppered with anecdotes about going on holiday with Geri Horner (Spice Girl) when he was first getting sober and doing cocaine with Oasis at Glastonbury before hammering out a cover of Don’t Look Back in Anger so resonant it should legitimately annoy the Gallagher brothers into burying the hatchet.

His European and Australasia tour coincides with his new No. 1 album XXV which explores the 25 years of his solo career. All hits and fan favourites were re-recorded and orchestrated.

To counter, there’s plenty of the man that gave us the album Rudebox (which he graciously does not play). He points into the crowd, grabs his crotch, bends over and roars “this is my bum, this is my ar se” followed by comments about ageing.

Within the first five minutes, he’s down among the crowd screaming “come on you fuckers”. For a sweeping encore of No Regrets and She’s the One. He dons a customised wrestling robe and holds his arms outstretched while the band blows the songs up to operatic proportions.

Now approaching 50, Williams doesn’t just write songs about living fast and being young. He performs with the joy of what can come after. His message for anyone who’s followed his journey from the start, and I suspect, himself: “Turns out there is a happy ending.”

A night of nostalgic entertainment for everyone, a night that brought back memories for me. Back in 1993, I was in a band performing at the iconic London Electric Ballroom, Camden only to be overshadowed by screaming fans outside the venue. They were all looking up to a hotel room window across the road with Take That hanging out of the window waving and blowing kisses at fans.

Well, what can I say, am I now writing about that then-17-year-old hanging out of that hotel window as a nostalgic fan? Well yeah!

Before things close with Angels, he looks back to his own legendary gig at Knebworth 2003: “When I asked you to grow old with me at Knebworth you did, didn’t you?”

Oh – And a shout-out to my girlfriend’s sister too, she was on stage performing as one of his dancers and will be touring with him…go girl!

Watch Robbie performing Lost, live in Munich, earlier this year.

Robbie Williams: Website / Twitter / Facebook

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LIVE REVIEW: Robbie Williams – A Day on the Green, Perth

Nikola estate middle swan, perth - 30th november 2023.

3 December 2023 Sean Bennett

Robbie Williams closed his Australian and New Zealand leg of his XXV World Tour with two sell-out shows at Nikola Estate in the Swan Valley in Perth. Much has been said about the chaos that surrounded the traffic management situation on the first of the two nights, so we won’t go into that other than to apologise to the support artists for failing to get there in time to cover them.

Due to the aforementioned problems, there was a delayed start but the expectant crowd were not to be disappointed, as Williams kicked the night off in spectacular fashion with ‘Hey Wow Yeah Yeah’ from 2012’s ‘Take the Crown’ album. Swathed in a black sequin jump suit and suit jacket, surrounded by scantily clad dancers and his full band (he never does anything by halves), Williams commanded the stage from the off. ‘Let me Entertain You’ has been a regular in the opening couple of numbers, with him announcing to the excited crowd, “My name is Robbie Fucking Williams, and tonight I am here to entertain you and take you on a journey. Are you with me?” before whipping the standing pit area into a frenzy… “One hand in the air… two hands in the air… and bounce…bounce…bounce!” We were off. A nod to one of the greats with Wilson Pickett’s ‘Land of 1000 Dances’ which had those in the audience that were still seated up on their feet, before an out of breathe Williams declared, “I’m fucked! We may have to do a night of ballads!”

During this tour Robbie had singled out audience members for various parts of the show and tonight it was Michael’s turn to be his victim. “You look like the kind of guy who gets stopped every time at the airport Michael. Let’s see if you know any words to my songs – we’ll start with an easy one Michael.” ‘Strong’ seemed to be one that Michael didn’t know but the crowd certainly did as the band swung into action. Williams ventured to the fabulous ‘Escapology’ album next for one of my favourites from his back catalogue ‘Come Undone’. He then proceeded to tell his story to Michael and partner Cathy, starting from the Take That days with the video to ‘Do What You Like’ showing a youthful band who were clearly aimed at the gay club scene back in the day – cue cheesy dances and bare bums. ‘Could it Be Magic’ continued the story, highlighting the first of the Take That songs he was given the lead on, before we touched on his sacking from the group and his now infamous drink and drug fuelled trip to Glastonbury where he hung out with the Gallagher brothers. ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger’ highlighted that weekend before the story continued taking us to ‘Back for Good’.

The recent documentary showed us the dark places fame has taken him over the years; depression, drink, drugs, insecurities… and more. Having seen Robbie live around nine times now I have to say this was the most relaxed I had seen him, opening up about the fact he is in the best place he has been in his entire life – it has been twenty-four years since his last drink, his marriage has lasted eighteen years and produced four children, so ‘I Love My Life’ and ‘Better Man’ were fitting songs to follow that with. I am always confused as to why he puts ‘Candy’ in the set list here in Australia, especially as by his own admission “it’s a song that was a big hit all around the world, apart from here!” Three huge hits followed with ‘Feel’, ‘Kids’ and ‘Rock DJ’ all receiving huge receptions and gave the lighting crew a chance to really show what their equipment could do! A wave and a bow meant it was the end of the main show, with the audience baying for more. And more we got…

‘You’re the Voice’ is an Australian anthem and one I always get a bit fearful of when I know it is going to be covered, but Williams smashed it out of the park, even including the live piper standing atop of the podium. “I hear he hasn’t been well lately, get well soon John.” Audience participation time again as Robbie headed into the crowd and singled out a woman to dedicate ‘She’s the One’ too, and tonight it was Argentinian Sophia’s turn as she beamed ear to ear as she was serenaded. ‘Angels’ is a goosebump moment for each and every crowd member and tonight was no exception, with the version being delivered similar to the rearranged recording taken from his latest album ‘XXV’, with strings added for an almost symphonic vibe. As the band left the stage we found ourselves alone with the man himself. ‘Let Me Entertain You’, ‘Better Man’, ‘Come Undone’, ‘Strong’ all delivered A Capella, as if to remind us of the night that had just concluded. “And through it all…” , the crowd sung the rest as Williams turned and walked to the back of the stage, removing his ear monitors before taking a final look back at the Perth crowd. Job done.

With thanks to Rosita Stangl, A Day on the Green , Chugg Entertainment and Frontier Touring for the media access.

Photos by Hunter Brothers Media

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Robbie Williams toured from 9 Oct 2022 to 24 Jun 2023; he performed 52 times and played around 20 songs per show.

General setlist.

01 Hey Wow Yeah Yeah

02 Let Me Entertain You

03 Land of 1000 Dances

06 Come Undone

07 Everything Changes

08 Don't Look Back in Anger

09 The Flood

10 Love My Life

11 Eternity - XXV

13 Old Before I Die

18 No Regrets - XXV

19 She's the One - XXV

20 Angels - XXV

Ben Edwards

Denosh Bennett

Gary Nuttall

Guy Chambers

Karl Brazil

Mike Kearsey

Nayanna Holley

Sarah Jane Skeete

Tom Longworth

"He's unhinged, super smart, super talented and willing to upset": British pop superstar Robbie Williams hails the one rock star he thinks is lighting up 2024's "boring", danger-free music scene

Robbie Williams thinks that the current music scene is devoid of friction, danger and personality, with one exception

Pop superstar Robbie Williams thinks that the contemporary music scene is "boring",  and wholly devoid of danger and personality. But the former Take That man, 50, has singled out one shining light in the current musical landscape, The 1975 's frontman Matty Healy . 

In a post on his social media platforms, Williams hails Healy as the only "commercially viable" pop or rock star who is "willing to be something other than beige". Williams doesn't exempt himself from criticism in his post, admitting that he himself has "vanilled myself into a corner trying to chase what’s gone". The pop star's post reads: "How boring is the music scene right now? Im not attacking the music itself. im just lamenting the death of friction, danger, personality. "I’ll admit I’ve vanilled myself into a corner trying to chase what’s gone. I get it everyone’s scared. No one knows what you’ll say that will get you cancelled. No one knows what you’ve already said or written that will end you. So many people to offend. "Matt Healy is the only commercially viable Pop/Rock star that I can see who is willing to be something other than beige. I really like Matt he’s unhinged, super smart, super talented and willing to upset. Upsetting for a cause. The cause being a complicated inner life a rebellious streak and boredom. "I’ve gotta get some of that energy back in my musical life. Like I say ‘’so many people to offend’’ I hope I have time to fit them all in. "It’s time to take the piss again…and im looking forward to it."

A post shared by Robbie Williams (@robbiewilliams) A photo posted by on

Healy has been at the centre of various mini-controversies over the past few years, from causing a Malaysian music festival to be shut down after he labelled the country's government "retards" for upholding laws banning same-sex relationships, to being called-out as " a white man who watches [violent porn site] Ghetto Gaggers and mocks Asian people " onstage at Glastonbury by Rina Sawayama, who is signed to Dirty Hits records, a label of which Healy was formerly a director. 

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A music writer since 1993, formerly Editor of Kerrang! and Planet Rock magazine (RIP), Paul Brannigan is a Contributing Editor to Louder. Having previously written books on Lemmy, Dave Grohl (the Sunday Times best-seller This Is A Call) and Metallica ( Birth School Metallica Death , co-authored with Ian Winwood), his Eddie Van Halen biography ( Eruption in the UK, Unchained in the US) emerged in 2021. He has written for Rolling Stone, Mojo and Q, hung out with Fugazi at Dischord House, flown on Ozzy Osbourne's private jet, played Angus Young's Gibson SG, and interviewed everyone from Aerosmith and Beastie Boys to Young Gods and ZZ Top. Born in the North of Ireland, Brannigan lives in North London and supports The Arsenal.

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Robbie Williams fans descend on Hawke's Bay ahead of sold-out concert

The Angels hitmaker will be performing for one night only at the Mission Estate Winery this weekend.

Hawke's Bay is buzzing with excitement as international pop sensation Robbie Williams takes centre stage for a highly anticipated sold-out concert this weekend.

The show at the Mission Estate Winery marks the beginning of Williams' world tour and is his only show in New Zealand.

Known for rocking out for an impressive 25 years, Williams has garnered a massive global following. Now, Hawke's Bay is gearing up to 'feel' the real love of the iconic entertainer.

Diehard fans in the region are eagerly counting down the days to the epic weekend.

"It's going to be an epic weekend, the place to be," devoted fan Andrea Taaffe told 1News.

Another fan, Rebecca Henley, said she was "beyond excited" for the performance on Saturday.

She added, "Not sure if my husband's in agreement, but he's been my free pass for 20 years, and it's never going to change."

The enthusiasm extends beyond borders, with fans like Andy Turley traveling all the way from the UK.

"When we heard Robbie was playing at the Mission, it was just a no-brainer. We just had to come," Turley said.

The Mission Estate Winery is witnessing preparations on an unprecedented scale. The stage being set up for the event surpasses even the grandeur of Elton John's rig. Approximately 50,000 Robbie fans are expected to fill the venue over the two days. Williams brings with him an entourage of around 80 people, including dancers and band members.

Event manager Garry Craft said the venue is a unique one – and not just because of its stunning views.

"It's also a sheep paddock for 50 weeks of the year. Everyone wants to be a part of the 1000 working crew," he said.

Beyond the thrill of the concert, the weekend is poised to deliver a substantial economic boost to the region. Estimates suggest a staggering $8-9 million cash injection into the local economy.

Hawke's Bay Tourism's Hamish Saxton said concertgoers "are coming from all across the country".

"Air New Zealand has had to put extra flights on," he said.

Accommodation in the area is completely booked out, with i-SITE Napier running a waitlist for those still in need of a place to stay.

Taaffe said the concert "is just a way for us to get together as a region and celebrate what we do here with our horticulture, agriculture, our wines, our food".

"To kick it off on Friday is just fantastic – super, super happy."

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Robbie Williams tour dates 2024

Robbie Williams is currently touring across 2 countries and has 2 upcoming concerts.

Their next tour date is at Estadio de Gran Canaria in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, after that they'll be at Hyde Park in London.

Currently touring across

Upcoming concerts (2) See nearest concert

Granca Live Fest

BST Hyde Park

Past concerts

SKI OPENING Schladming

Nikola Estate Winery

View all past concerts

Recent tour reviews

I went to the Take That re-union concert in Düsseldorf some years. One of the best concerts I have ever been. The pre-group were the pet shop boys. They were so good. We all thought they will be hard to beat. How wrong we were! Take That started for approx an hour without RW and were absolutely fantastic. Then a very strange thing was brought on stage, with RW on top. What an entrance... then everything changed. He started straight away with one his best. I think it was Rock DJ. In a Nutshell, Take That was brilliant but unbeatable with RW together. If ever you have the chance to see him, do go. You will of regret it.

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I have to say that I have mixed feelings about this concert. He came on late at 9pm finished 10:15pm. He only did a few classic songs. He should have come on at 7 or 8:30pm and we had no open act. He made it up by performing Angels, Strong, No Regrets but he should have performed Rock DJ and Millennium. Why he did Feel and Let me entertain you. he did perform love my life.

could have been better if he came on time. 3/5

In full transparency, this is a copy of a review on the Radio Creme Brulee blog.

It is not too far in the distant past that Las Vegas concert residencies were associated with fading pop stars that were way past their commercial prime. More often than not, the artists that gravitated to Las Vegas concert residencies had enjoyed their fair share of the limelight in America’s musical mainstream. Many attribute the dramatic shift in perception for these shows to Celine Dion (with specific regard to her “A New Day” tour). The tour featured theatrical performances and imbibed the spirit of glitz and excess that Las Vegas is often characterized by. Since then, artists such as Elton John, Britney Spears, and Jennifer Lopez have carried on this tradition with immense success. The newest twist to the history of Las Vegas residencies is one that British pop superstar Robbie Williams just might be the catalyst for.

Robbie Williams is one of the more noteworthy symptoms of the US musical mainstream’s stubborn insularity from the global pop music landscape. Despite being the recipient of the second largest recording contract (valued at 80 million pounds) of all time, Robbie Williams (like many artists from the UK) has been overlooked by US terrestrial radio’s gatekeepers. These gatekeepers enjoy immense power to shape public opinion even today despite the rapid proliferation of alternate venues for music discovery besides terrestrial radio in the last two decades. As a result, Robbie Williams’ chart success in the US has been rather lackluster. None of his singles have entered the Billboard Top 40 singles chart. This is in stark contrast to his larger-than-life popularity overseas (literally everywhere besides the US). Furthermore, it has been almost two decades since he last performed live in the US.

Given this reality, it is rather interesting that Robbie Williams chose a Las Vegas concert residency route as opposed to a mini-tour covering the US’ key media hubs. The second element of surprise stems from the conscious choice of venue. Williams’ team has opted for the intimacy of the Encore Theater at Wynn Resorts. This is quite a shift for someone that in Europe is considered a stadium act. The final element of surprise is the overwhelming demand for tickets for these shows. The six shows scheduled for March 2019 have sold out. It would be interesting to see data highlighting the split between domestic and international demand for these tickets. Six more dates have been added between the months of June and July in Las Vegas.

On the evening of March 9, as concert attendees began to fill in the Encore theatre and indulge in friendly banter with each other, it became clear that one common theme linked many of the Americans in the audience. Most of these people either had foreign ties (by virtue of having lived or studied in Europe at some point in their lives) or had discovered Robbie Williams in the couple of years in the late 90s during which his promotion team tried to actively promote him on American television (to compensate for the lack of acceptance from American terrestrial radio gatekeepers).

My expectations of the concert were moderate – not because I expected to be underwhelmed but because I assumed (incorrectly of course!) that the intimacy of the Encore Theatre automatically meant that the show would be a mellow affair with Robbie Williams sitting on a stool performing mostly swing covers. While covers comprised a significant portion of the setlist, the concert was as far from a mellow affair as it could be. The concert opened with a call to the audience to sing the cheeky and irreverent “National Anthem of Robbie” with the lyrics being projected on to the curtains. The audience obliged with an overabundance of enthusiasm as they sang along hilarious lyrics such as

“Yes he went to rehab

Drugs and drinks took him low

God bless our Robbie

He can swing both ways

He is totally global

Except in the US of A”

This was followed by a video of Robbie Williams being broadcast on the curtains with the crowd cheering on deliriously. The curtains opened to a jaw-dropping stage setup. This was the first indication that Robbie Williams had decided to emulate elements of a stadium concert setup within the smaller confines of a theatre. In fact, the stage set design is one of the smartest uses of spaces I have seen in a very long time. The stage featured three ramps two of which were joined like a horseshoe and a center ramp. There were circular spaces between the ramps which is where the band performed. Robbie Williams made a rather dramatic entry via a suspended platform from the ceiling of the theatre.

The concert was an invigorating cocktail of Robbie’s unapologetic and ego-driven lack of political correctness, quirky humor with not even a hint of inhibition, his penchant for excesses, and the glitz and theatrics laced with a touch of class that have come to characterize Las Vegas as a music concert destination. For an artist that has not been in the American limelight for over 15 years, Robbie Williams embodied the spirit of Vegas with relative ease. In addition to the magnificent stage, Robbie’s entourage featured a troupe of drop dead gorgeous female dancers that performed eye-popping dance routines on songs such as “Rock DJ”, “Let Me Entertain You”, and “Swings both ways”. The euphoria factor of this concert surged ten-fold whenever they were on stage.

There were some defining elements of the concert worth highlighting. The first was a reverence for Las Vegas as demonstrated by the high-adrenaline performances. The second was an ode to Robbie Williams’ beginnings as the dreamy-eyed boy from Stoke-on-Trent (UK) as showcased on performances of songs such as “Mr Bojangles” and “Sweet Caroline” (a Neil Diamond cover performed with his father Pete Conway). In fact, “Sweet Caroline” was one of two songs that featured Robbie’s father – a rather unusual and heartwarming twist to a typical concert format. The final element was Robbie Williams’ commitment to audience engagement. For his performance of “Something Stupid”, he invited an Australian fan from the audience and serenaded her on a couch on a stage. It is fair to say that she took full advantage of the situation and probably got the most bang for her buck as she squeezed his buttocks before leaving the stage. He was aware that people had traveled from different parts of the world for this concert. He asked people to yell out and identify themselves as he did a roll call for Europeans, Australians, Kiwis, and finally Americans. To the Americans, he yelled “why don’t you tell your f**kin friends about me???? I don’t want to be infamous for NOT being famous in America”.

Musically, the highlights of the night were “Feel”, “Rock DJ”, “Swings both ways”, “Let me entertain you” and the penultimate track of the evening – “Angels” (which he introduced by saying “OK fine, I’ll perform that one hit”). The night ended with a cover of “My Way” (made popular by Frank Sinatra). The performance was a subtle nod to the artist that had come to define the early history of Las Vegas concert residencies. It was minimalist at best with only Robbie Williams and his primary songwriting partner Guy Chambers on the piano. At the end of the song, Robbie Williams exited by sinking in to the stage while Guy Chambers continued to play the piano as the curtains descended slowly. There was something symbolic about that moment as it focused the spotlight on the songwriting partnership that sowed the seeds for Robbie Williams’ monumental rise to stardom. Prior to this musical alliance, the success of Robbie Williams was far from a foregone conclusion.

One cannot doubt the larger than life ambition of Robbie Williams in his creative vision for this show. He undoubtedly tried to incorporate a lot but in doing so, he may have inadvertently eschewed the primary aspect of his career – his own hits. With a musical legacy spanning over 11 albums as a solo artist (and fifteen albums including the ones with Take That), he was never going to be in a position to do justice to all of it. That being said, he may have gone too far the other way with a covers-heavy setlist. In my humble opinion, that might have been a miscalculation in the context of an artist trying to reacquaint himself with American audiences. His legacy has been largely built off his own hits as opposed to those of others. This might be my only criticism (albeit a rather significant one) of the concert.

The concert is a reminder that America’s insulation from the European musical mainstream since the mid-90s is America’s loss. It is also a reminder that pop music can be fun, classy, and entertaining without being sonically hollow. It is my sincere hope that Robbie Williams’ return to the American stage forces a re-evaluation of gatekeepers in the American musical mainstream that have largely failed in their endeavor to uphold one of the fundamental tenets of responsible media – diversity.

On the other hand, Robbie Williams may have found the city that embodies his spirit and both him and his concert audience are better off for it. I hope that this performance not only ushers in a new era for Robbie Williams’ relationship with America but also for the many talented popstars from across the Atlantic that have been relegated to relative obscurity in America.

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Robbie Williams shares his opinion on The 1975’s Matty Healy

Williams praised Healy for being "willing to be something other than beige"

Robbie Williams has shared his thoughts on The 1975 ‘s Matty Healy – see what Williams had to say below.

• READ MORE: The 1975: “I’d rather be a pretend supervillain than some pretend hero”

This past weekend, Williams took to social media to pen his thoughts on Healy, who has been in the forefront of several controversies in recent times. In his post, Williams noted that he was “lamenting the death of friction, danger, personality”, while calling the music scene “boring”, but clarifying that he’s “not attacking the music itself”.

Williams went on to state that he understands why everyone’s being safe: “I get it everyone’s scared. No one knows what you’ll say that will get you cancelled. No one knows what you’ve already said or written that will end you. So many people to offend.”

With this in mind, he’s hailed Matty Healy as “the only commercially viable Pop/Rock star that I can see who is willing to be something other than beige”.

Williams wrote: “I really like Matt he’s unhinged, super smart, super talented and willing to upset. Upsetting for a cause. The cause being a complicated inner life a rebellious streak and boredom.”

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Robbie Williams (@robbiewilliams)

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Williams is now seeking to inject some of Healy’s character into his own music, writing: “I’ve gotta get some of that energy back in my musical life. Like I say ‘so many people to offend’ I hope I have time to fit them all in. It’s time to take the piss again… and I’m looking forward to it.”

One such instance of Healy’s “willing to upset” and “upsetting for a cause” that Williams alluded to saw The 1975 getting band from Malaysia while performing at the Good Vibes Festival in the Southeast Asian country last year .

During their headlining slot on the opening night of the three-day festival, Healy  criticised the Malaysian government for anti-LGBTQ laws during their headlining set at Kuala Lumpur’s Good Vibes Festival .

Healy would  go on to kiss bandmate and bassist Ross MacDonald  on the lips onstage before their set was cut short two songs later – just seven songs into their setlist – and it was announced that the band were, from then, banned from Malaysia . The following day, the Malaysian government  ordered the cancellation of the remaining two days of Good Vibes Festival .

Future Sound Asia (FSA), the organiser of Good Vibes Festival, demanded the band pay RM12.3million (£2,099,154) in damages  after the band’s frontman  Matty Healy ‘s “indecent behaviour”. In August, the band’s lawyers confirmed that they were working on resolving the dispute, though it’s currently unclear what the outcome was.

In October, the band announced that they will be taking a hiatus – and confirming that they are not breaking up – and were at the centre of controversy after Healy’s comments about Asians on a podcast led to backlash from Rina Sawayama, who dedicated her track ‘STFU’ to him at Glastonbury .

That same month, Healy issued an apology to those that he has “hurt” while trying to take on the “character role of 21st Century rock star” . Healy’s discussion about “playing pretend” and taking on the “character role of 21st Century rock star” follows similar comments he made during  an interview with  NME in 2022.

Speaking with  NME ’s Andrew Trendell, the singer recalled the reasons behind his controversial comments and “shit-posts” online, stating: “I’d rather be a pretend supervillain than some pretend hero.

“We used to want our artists to be cigarette-smoking, bohemian outsiders. Now, we want them to be liberal academics. Well, on Twitter we do, but then I get really popular all of a sudden when I come back. Why’s that? Is that because I’m not pretending to be a liberal academic and there are real people who have actually got something to say instead of just continuing this infographic-sharing era of the same shit that we all fucking know?”

In other news about The 1975, in February it was  confirmed that the band have already begun work on a new album . Healy took to the stage in Birmingham on February 21 to announce the news, and used the gig to briefly tease a new song. It also came shortly after  he told fans that The 1975 would be going on an “indefinite hiatus”  from live concerts when their current tour ends this month.

Elsewhere, it was reported last month that Healy tried to buy the flat at the centre of the Night & Day Cafe noise dispute in a bid to help save the Manchester venue .

• Related Topics
• Matty Healy
• Robbie Williams

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NEWS... BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT

90s music icon, 48, looks utterly ageless 25 years after smash hit

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It may have been a quarter of a century since the Vengaboys stormed the charts but if you look at Kim Sasabone, not a day has passed.

Now Kim has just celebrated turning 48 and she’s still smiling away as looking radiant as she did in the early 90s .

Posting a throwback baby picture for her birthday on April 1 on Instagram, the pop icon wrote: ‘Hello little girl, it’s your 48th birthday 🥳.’

The Dutch and Brazilian singer first rose to fame at just 23 alongside her bandmates Denise van Rijswijk, Robin Pors, and Donny Latupeirissa.

In 1998 the Dutch quartet crashed into the UK charts with Up and Down, We Like To Party and the iconic Boom Boom Boom.

Four years later, the group went on hiatus and pursued other projects and personal lives, including Kim’s marriage.

She has been with DJ husband, Nick Kazemian, for twenty-five years now and they share 10-year-old son, Joveyn.

Kim regularly posts sweet family snaps of her son and their holidays as well as pictures of the group together, touring the world.

The Vengaboys reunited in 2007 and have been touring ever since, performing smash hit We’re Going To Ibiza for fans all over the world.

In 2021, they joined Peter Andre and Atomic Kitten at a throwback festival for the baby pop genre and often headline 90s throwback festivals.

Donny has said of the bands enduring success: ‘For us, the 90’s never stopped anyway.

‘But we do notice that a lot of people are weighed down by a heavy mood, and it is kind of striking that this has been the case since the new millennium. I’m just saying.’

Kim added: ‘We have been on a non-stop world tour since 1999. We’ve been dying to re-unite with our friends and fans [post-Covid].’

Along with touring consistently for 25 years, they also submit Boom Boom Boom into Eurovision annually but thus far have not been successful.

 ‘We tried it with Boom Boom. Every year we send in Boom Boom but they don’t accept it,’ they told MailOnline last year.

‘It has to be a new song. We need to write a new song that’s a little bit naughty, and enter that in.’

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If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us [email protected], calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.

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Olivia Wilde to Direct Margot Robbie-Produced ‘Avengelyne’ Adaptation

By Tomás Mier

Nineties comic book Avengelyne is heading to the big screen soon.

Multiple reports confirmed on Thursday that Olivia Wilde will direct and Margot Robbie ‘s LuckyChap will produce a film adaptation of the beloved comic created by Deadpool ‘s Rob Liefeld.

Robbie won’t be starring in the film, but she runs LuckyChap, alongside Tom Ackerley and Josie McNamara, the production company that produced Barbie . The new film will also welcome Simon Kinberg of X-Men and Deadpool to write and produce, according to The Hollywood Reporter , which was first to report the news of the film.

The original comic book was released in 1995 and centers around an angel that fell onto earth and fights demons and monsters along the way. Cathy Christian and Tony Lobito also helped create the character. The new film still has no home with the production company selling it to streamers and studios in the coming weeks, per Variety .

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Wilde appeared in 2022’s Babylon , which Robbie starred in. The director last helmed Don’t Worry Darling , which she also produced and starred in. Wilde is set to direct Naughty , which LuckyChap is producing, per THR .

Among the other films that LuckyChap has in the works are My Year of Rest and Relaxation , Tank Girl , the Sims , and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.

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Hulu Orders Kate Upton-Hosted Fashion Design Competition ‘Dress My Tour’

By Michael Schneider

Michael Schneider

Variety Editor at Large

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Supermodel-slash-actress Kate Upton is set to host “ Dress My Tour ,” a new reality competition series that has been ordered by Hulu. The ten-episode unscripted series will follow 11 fashion designers as they compete to create designs and style for music stars. The winner receives $100,000.

Reads the show’s logline: “’Dress My Tour’ takes fans behind the curtain of the unpredictable fashion and music industries. The series follows 11 aspiring fashion designers on the raw, emotional journey of creating stunning fashion pieces worthy of the music world’s biggest names like JoJo Siwa, Paula Abdul, Toni Braxton, Ty Dolla $ign, and more. As these designers compete to make their mark in the fashion and music industries find out which one of them truly has what it takes to design for the stars and win the $100,000 prize.”

Season 1 contestants are Keiandrea Daniels, Veejay Floresca, Michael Shead, Rey Ortiz, McCauley Star, Afaf Seyam, Jess West, Todd Fisher, Julissa Peralta, Cierra Zacchaeus and Traviance Dunn.

Dr. Holly Carter developed the series, which is produced by her Relevé Entertainment along with All3Media America. Carter is exec producer, along with EP/showrunner LaNeé Griffin and EPs Keesha Brickhouse, Dean Houser and Tarvenia “T” Jones. Joe Guidry will serve as director.

Upton’s previous TV credits include serving as a guest judge on “Project Runway” and “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”

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