By Anam Alam

The pandemic has stopped many things such as meeting friends, going to the gym and even watching your favourite band live. However, on the last point, it may surprise you to learn that English pop band, McFly, have sought out an innovative solution. 

They have decided to bring the joy of concerts to their fans’ home by launching a subscription service where fans can access exclusive content and live-stream performances from the band.

Called McFly Total Access, the site is what band member Dougie Poynter calls a ‘sexier’ Netflix and is powered by the video platform, Vimeo. 

Harry Judd explains that members of the Galaxy Defenders (the term used for dedicated McFly fans) will be able to have exclusive access to content like live streams, remastered 4K music videos, previous live shows, and even buy merch - all for £9.99 a month or £99 per year.

The band were meant to go on their UK Arena tour this year as well as touring Brazil but, as is the case for many artists, the pandemic stopped all live concerts from happening. 

McFly, though, was not going to let COVID-19 get in the way of interacting with their fans. So they decided to make the ‘ultimate commitment’ to the future by launching a streaming service precisely one year since their iconic reunion at the O2. The same performance that fans were able to live watch with the band just a few days ago. 

Along with their performance, fans will also be able to view their new album, ‘Young Dumb Thrills’ and a documentary titled ‘McFly: It’s All About Us’. 

McFly formed in 2003 in London, with band members Tom Fletcher, Dougie Poynter, Danny Jones and Harry Judd. The band were going strong until 2016 when they announced an ‘indefinite hiatus’. After three years of solo projects, the band decided to regroup and performed a one-off performance at the O2 Arena. The success and emotions of their performance encouraged the boys to carry on and make more music, so they booked studio sessions and wrote and recorded their sixth album after a decade. Danny Jones says it has always been his dream to have ‘everything McFly under one roof’, and McFly Total Access will be just that.

The band have also invested in their own McFly Total Access HQ building in London, with a recording studio and rehearsal space, so fans can see the process of ideas turning to lyrics and, eventually, the next hit. It will also be the band’s own venue to perform and put on a virtual concert that only fans will be able to watch.

Members of the band are also using it for more personal reasons, like Tom Fletcher using it to watch his wife, Giovanna Fletcher, on ITV’s I’m a Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here!.

It’s been more than a week since the service’s debut, and it seems to be going strong. There appear to be no frustrations in sight, the fandom are enjoying the videos the band are supplying and are already asking for more through social media. There is even a dedicated forum for suggestions on the website to give tips on how the service can be improved. Poynter does say he is most excited to see McFly Total Access evolve with the help from their fans, so it seems like McFly are in it for the long run. 

Admirably, McFly’s latest venture has created new jobs for crew members who lost their job due to the pandemic. They have also created a place for the McFly Galaxy Defenders to fully immerse themselves into all things McFly and develop an even closer connection to them, something that not all bands have been able to do.