Over half of British adults (57%) think that the return of Robbie Williams to the pop group Take That will increase the popularity of the band, a poll has revealed. Only 12% believe that it will decrease the band’s popularity.
The reunion has provoked a large response on TellYouGov, with the band’s volume score up 46 to 48 and their sentiment score rising eight points to -16 over the past week. Robbie has said he is ‘embarrassingly excited’ about his return to the group, 15 years after he quit. Williams left in 1995 after he felt unhappy about the way he was treated in the band. Take That reformed in 2005 without Robbie, and have had since a string of successful singles such as Shine, Patience and Rule the World as well as a sell out UK tour.
Debate has been sparked on TellYouGov, with many users or ‘tyggers’ excited about Robbie’s return to the band. Comments appearing on the page include ‘excited [he’s] back’; ‘welcome back Robbie’ and ‘superb Robbie is back’. Some however, seem less than thrilled by his return, with one tygger asking 'why are they joining up with Robbie again?’, another tygged ‘not happy about Robbie being allowed back in the band’. Whereas others do not seem bothered by the reunion with tygs such as ‘who cares?’ and ‘just not that interested anymore’ appearing on the site.
There has been some speculation among tyggers that the reunion has been motivated by slightly more than the music: ‘rejoining for selfish reasons’, ‘money grabbers’, ‘this stinks of a money making scheme’. It is likely that Robbie’s return will generate interest in the band; the poll revealed that he is the second most popular member, with nearly a quarter of respondents (22%) saying he is their favourite member. Gary Barlow topped the list, with 44% of the public preferring him to the other band members. Some tyggers have commented that they are now more likely to go and see the band live: ‘will be getting tickets now that Robbie’s back’; ‘amazing, can’t wait for the tour!’.
Since the initial reaction on Thursday, TellYouGov has had a steady flow of tygs on Take That, however the excitement seems to have tailed off in the last 24 hours, with the volume score dropping down to 11. Despite this, it seems Robbie is back for good with the new, nameless album set for release in November.
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