Avenue were an English
boy band
A boy band is loosely defined as a vocal group consisting of young male singers, usually in their teenage years or in their twenties at the time of formation. Generally, boy bands perform Love song, love songs marketed towards girls and young ...
. They participated in the
third series
Third or 3rd may refer to:
Numbers
* 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3
* , a fraction of one third
* 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute''
Places
* 3rd Street (disambiguation)
* Third Avenue (disambiguation)
* Hig ...
of ''
The X Factor
''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003 ...
'' in 2006 and initially made it to the final 12, but were banned from participation for having been specifically formed for the competition and having professional representation. They continued to proclaim their innocence.
After leaving ''The X Factor'', they stayed together and had brief success with the single "Last Goodbye", which reached the UK top 50 and topped the
Scottish Singles Chart
The Scottish Albums Chart is a chart compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC) which is based on how physical and digital sales towards the UK Albums Chart fare in Scotland. The official singles chart for Scotland, the Scottish Singles Chart, ...
. After the split,
Max George
Maximillian Albert George (born 6 September 1988) is an English singer, best known as the lead singer of the boy band The Wanted.
George started his career as a footballer, playing for Preston North End. After an injury ended his football car ...
went on to become a member of the British-Irish boyband
The Wanted
The Wanted are a British-Irish boy band consisting of group members Max George, Siva Kaneswaran, Jay McGuiness and Nathan Sykes and, until his death in 2022, Tom Parker (singer), Tom Parker. The group was formed in 2009 and signed a worldw ...
, releasing a number of top 5 hits, two official UK number ones, and three top 10 albums.
Jamie Tinkler left to form the indie band Baxter, and his replacement in Avenue,
Andy Brown, went on to be the lead singer of
Lawson, who have released five top 10 singles.
History
2005–06: Beginnings
Max George was born in 1988 grew up with his family in
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
Before music, he had been a football player with
Preston North End
Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional football club in Preston, Lancashire, England, who currently play in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league syste ...
and on the verge of signing a two-year deal with them. But because of an accident he had dropped his sport dreams to join Avenue and apply for auditions in ''The X Factor''. After the break-up of the band, he joined the successful chart topping boy band
The Wanted
The Wanted are a British-Irish boy band consisting of group members Max George, Siva Kaneswaran, Jay McGuiness and Nathan Sykes and, until his death in 2022, Tom Parker (singer), Tom Parker. The group was formed in 2009 and signed a worldw ...
. George was engaged to actress
Michelle Keegan
Michelle Elizabeth Keegan (born 3 June 1987) is an English actress, known for her roles as Tina McIntyre in the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' and Sergeant Georgie Lane in the BBC drama series ''Our Girl''. Keegan also starred as Tracy S ...
, but called off the engagement. Despite the calling off of their engagement, the couple remained together for some time. However, they split up due to rumours spreading about Max cheating.
2006–07: ''The X Factor''
In 2006, Avenue auditioned for the
third series
Third or 3rd may refer to:
Numbers
* 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3
* , a fraction of one third
* 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute''
Places
* 3rd Street (disambiguation)
* Third Avenue (disambiguation)
* Hig ...
of ''
The X Factor
''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003 ...
'', singing an
a cappella
''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...
version of "
Leave Right Now
"Leave Right Now" is a song written by British singer-songwriter Will Young. It was written by Eg White and produced by Stephen Lipson for his second studio album, '' Friday's Child'' (2003). A song about unrequited love, it was released as the ...
", a song by
Will Young
William Robert Young (born 20 January 1979) is a British singer-songwriter and actor who came to prominence after winning the 2002 Pop Idol (series 1), inaugural series of the ITV (TV network), ITV talent contest ''Pop Idol'', making him the f ...
. They made it through to bootcamp and judges' houses, and were mentored by
Louis Walsh
Michael Louis Vincent Walsh (born 5 August 1952) is an Irish music manager and television personality. He has managed Johnny Logan, Boyzone, Jedward and Westlife, four of Ireland's most successful pop acts in the 1990s and 2000s. He later bec ...
. Avenue made it to the final 12 contestants heading for the live shows but after Walsh discovered that Avenue were already on a management deal, he disqualified them from the competition and
Eton Road
''The X Factor'' is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. The third series was broadcast on ITV from 19 August 2006 until 16 December 2006. Louis Walsh, Sharon Osbourne and Simon Cowell all returned for their third s ...
went through in their place.
2007–09: After ''The X Factor''
After disqualification from ''The X Factor'', Avenue were signed by Crown Music Management and won an album deal with Island Records. There was also a membership change with Jamie Tinkler leaving and being replaced by Andy Brown, after Tinkler decided to join the indie rock band Baxter.
Avenue released their debut single "Last Goodbye", which reached number 50 on the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
and number one on the
Scottish Singles Chart
The Scottish Albums Chart is a chart compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC) which is based on how physical and digital sales towards the UK Albums Chart fare in Scotland. The official singles chart for Scotland, the Scottish Singles Chart, ...
. The song features on the compilation albums ''Floorfillers Clubmix'', ''Dance Mania Party'' and ''Pop Party 6''. During 2008, Avenue supported fellow
McFly
McFly are an English pop rock band formed in London in 2003. The band took their name from the '' Back to the Future'' character Marty McFly. The band consists of Tom Fletcher (lead vocals, guitar, and piano), Danny Jones (lead vocals, har ...
on their Radio:active Tour and a February 2009 tour was planned, but later cancelled.
Their follow-up single was going to be "Can You Feel It?", but a commercial release was cancelled and it was distributed free on music service
7digital
7digital Group Plc is a British publicly listed company that offers access to music, tracking and reporting for clients. London-based, 7digital provides end-to-end music services for the fitness, social media, DSPs, and gaming industries with b ...
. In 2008, while still a member of Avenue, Max George appeared nude on cover of British magazine ''
AXM
''AXM'' was a British lifestyle digital magazine aimed at young gay and bisexual men.
The magazine ceased publication of printed magazines after December 2008 due to financial downturn. It was subsequently converted to an online-only format, ...
'' in support of cancer research in AXM's "Naked Issue".
The band split up in April 2009.
Max George
Maximillian Albert George (born 6 September 1988) is an English singer, best known as the lead singer of the boy band The Wanted.
George started his career as a footballer, playing for Preston North End. After an injury ended his football car ...
is now in
The Wanted
The Wanted are a British-Irish boy band consisting of group members Max George, Siva Kaneswaran, Jay McGuiness and Nathan Sykes and, until his death in 2022, Tom Parker (singer), Tom Parker. The group was formed in 2009 and signed a worldw ...
and
Andy Brown fronts his own band,
Lawson.
Discography
Singles
*"Last Goodbye" No. 50
UK
*"Can You Feel It"
References
{{Authority control
The X Factor (British TV series) contestants
Musical groups established in 2006
Musical groups disestablished in 2009
Island Records artists
English boy bands