Hanson
UK went along to Riverside Studios in London to
catch Hanson performing 'If Only' live and
chatting to host Chris Evans.
7am: The Hanson day
begins in earnest with fellow Channel Four show The
Big Breakfast. Zac attacks Johnny
Vaughan at the end of their interview, and the
band throw themselves into the show's madcap
finale compo 'Wonga'. Hanson are back!
9am: Miss bus, go
home, sit, go out and catch bus. Already hungry -
sandwich wolfed on the train.
10am: Train to St.
Pancras - no seats. Why I oughta! The floor will
have to do.
|
Hanson on 'The Big Breakfast',
earlier the same day. |
The stage at 'TFI Friday' before
filming begins. |
11am:
Arrive St. Pancras, with the crushing realisation
that we have arrived in the capital city with no
A To Z and not the faintest idea where we're
heading. Oh dear.
11:40am:
Hammersmith tube station (finally!).
Mysteriously, McDonald's fails to solve our
location dilemma, but hey, we're full up. For
now.
12pm: Still lost.
For once, the mobile phone actually comes to our
rescue (as opposed to annoying everyone in sight)
and we call embarassingly desperately for help.
12:45pm: WOOHOO!!
We get to join the front of the line at Riverside
Studios!
|
| 12:46pm:
Bummer. Front of the line also means next to the
increasingly mean-looking bouncers patrolling the
entrance to the studio. Numerous cars, limos and
vans drive past, including Andrew the Barman's
entourage, but no sign of Hanson. Their outfits
are carried out out of sight though. 1:30pm:
We're supposed to be let in now, but people with
headsets keep muttering about someone 'not
turning up' and 'having to wait'. Turns out to be
Rhys Ifans who was late (we reckon).
|
Hanson bound along the stairs to the
TFI bar. They walked past us! Ahem.
|
Let loose in the bar, before mic
troubles threaten to hinder the acoustic
rendition of 'If Only'.
|
1:45pm:
Finally let in, and after a thorough security
search and leaving our bags and coats in the
hands of the cloakroom staff, it's off to the
backstage bar for waters all round, still waiting
for Hanson to walk past (which never happens). 3pm-ish:
The show proper begins filming, after
host Chris Evans comes and says hello to the
audience. Reception for Hanson is warm, although
there are the odd bashers knocking about. Ah
well.
3:10pm:
New talent Toploader give a
storming performance of new track 'Achilles
Heel'.
|
| 3:30pm:
Cat Deeley may have held the show up for a full
ten minutes putting her makeup on, but we don't
care - Hanson walk straight past us virtually
unnoticed! Of course, keeping our cool like the
true mature adults we are, we allowed them to
simply walk past. OK I'm lying, we nearly fainted
and screamed like our lives depended on it.
Sorry. 3:35pm: Hanson are
ushered to the top of the stairs, where they
watch VT until they are called on.
3:36pm:
And they're off! Up to the TFI bar, where they
attempt an acoustic 'If Only'. Everything runs
smoothly, except for Taylor's microphone which
packs in from the start. Even so, the rendition
goes well, with Taylor sharing Zac's mike. After
the song, it's up to the desk to chat with Chris.
|
Tay and Zac soldiering on with that
pesky mic. |
As usual, no one gets to finish a
sentence in a Hanson interview! |
3:40pm:
The interview begins. Inevitably, Chris' first
move is to dig up some 1998 footage of a TFI
sketch featuring Danny Baker and two other TFI
regulars sporting Hanson-style blonde wigs,
crooning 'MMMBop' like champions. Luckily, the
interview improves from this point onwards. 3:42pm:
Did Ike just say 'getting pissed'?!? You'd better
believe it. Chris has informed the boys that over
here in the UK, Ike can legally purchase alcohol
(which, incidentally, is supplied free to the
audience at TFI). "We know all about
that," is the Hansons' cryptic reply.
3:44pm:
It's all over too soon, as the cameras
swoon back out over the audience to watch Cypress
Hill storm through their new single 'Superstar'.
|
| 3:50pm:
Unbeknownst to us, Hanson are outside signing
autographs for their beloved UK fans! We ended up
shaking hands with a couple of the 'Hill, but
still, it's nice to know that Hanson were in the
same airspace as us. Another top show on the
gruelling Hanson promotional schedule! |
This
article is © 2000 Dan Lawson and Verity
Milligan. The wonderful pictures are courtesy of
Dido, and you can see video, wavs and many more
pictures from all Hanson's UK appearances at her
site:
http://www.dido.hitz.gen.nz. |
