Longtime Take That creative director Kim Gavin has given an insight into working with the group as they embark on their 30th anniversary UK tour.
After performing a one-off date at the Royal Albert Hall last month in aid of Teenage Cancer Trust, the trio kicked off their Odyssey tour at Sheffield's FlyDSA Arena on Friday.
Speaking in Music Week's Take That special issue last year, Gavin said: “Their legacy is to always push music concerts to the limit. They have always broken new ground with their shows.”
Their legacy is to always push music concerts to the limit
Kim Gavin
Take That, whose booking agent is Coda’s Sol Parker, hold the record for the most headline concerts at both the new Wembley Stadium (12) and The O2 (29), where they will play a further eight shows as part of their 2019 tour.
Gavin has worked with the band since meeting them in 1992 and was namechecked in Gary Barlow's 2018 autobiography, A Better Me.
"He’s complimentary in that I am sort of the silent member – someone who is under the radar but very much a part of the band," said Gavin. "It’s nice to think that I am a part of that."
Take That became a trio following the departure of Jason Orange after 2011's Progress run with Robbie Williams, which remains the biggest concert tour the UK has ever seen.
“An odd number is always better from a staging and choreographic point of view,” said Gavin, who also oversaw the 2012 London Olympics closing ceremony. “Someone is always in the middle with three and someone is always in the middle with five, but obviously we all miss Jay. Jay was an interesting character and he was fun to be on the road with.”
Hundreds of thousands of tickets have been sold for the current UK and Ireland trek, which is promoted by SJM Concerts and will also visit arenas in Glasgow, Manchester, Dublin and Birmingham, and stadiums in Milton Keynes, Southampton, Bristol, Norwich, Middlesbrough, Huddersfield, Liverpool and Cardiff.
Rocketing to No.1 upon its release last November, the group's reimagined greatest hits set Odyssey has notched up 288,054 sales to date, according to the Official Charts Company.
While keeping tight-lipped on the production of the current tour, Gavin said: “We always dive into the album title and what the album is suggesting."
Click here to read the full feature on Take That's live career.
