It may have been the hottest day of the year, but that didn’t stop McFly turning Cardiff Castle into one giant party.
With temperatures soaring under the evening sun, thousands packed into the historic venue for a night of pop-rock nostalgia, singalongs and plenty of laughs. Supported by Eurovision favourites Remember Monday and Scottish rockers Twin Atlantic, the stage was perfectly set before McFly arrived to remind everyone why they’ve remained one of Britain’s most loved live bands for more than two decades.
Remember Monday got the evening off to a brilliant start with their trademark harmonies and infectious country-pop sound, while Twin Atlantic raised the energy another level with a powerful rock set that had the crowd well and truly warmed up.
Then came McFly.
From the moment Danny, Tom, Dougie and Harry burst onto the stage, the atmosphere went through the roof. There was no easing into the show. It was hit after hit, with Cardiff singing every word back as the band raced through classics including Five Colours in Her Hair, Star Girl, Obviously and All About You.
The beauty of a McFly show is that it never takes itself too seriously. The band joke with each other, interact constantly with the audience and genuinely look like they’re having as much fun as everyone watching. That chemistry has always been their greatest strength and it still shines through today.
One of the biggest moments of the night belonged to Port Talbot’s own Joel Oates. The local TikTok star has become something of a McFly legend after a chance meeting with the band at a service station a few year’s ago. Normally he gets a shout-out during All About You, but this time the band took things one step further by inviting him on stage.
Joel joined the band to sing along before showing off his trademark rock-and-roll leg kicks, earning one of the loudest cheers of the night. Cardiff Castle absolutely loved it, Joel was clearly living the dream and the band looked just as delighted to share the moment with him.
As the sun finally began to dip and the temperature cooled ever so slightly, the party only got bigger. Every chorus was louder than the last and the castle became a sea of dancing, smiling faces.
You never really get a bad night with McFly. They’re always fun, always energetic and they always know exactly how to make thousands of people forget about everything else for a couple of hours.
On one of the hottest days of the year, McFly somehow brought even more heat to Cardiff Castle.
More than twenty years on, they’re still the fun-loving pop-rock stars they’ve always been, and judging by the reaction in Cardiff, they’ll be welcomed back with open arms every single time.
