Take That manager Chris Dempsey has reflected on the pop legends’ enduring appeal and recent Netflix documentary as they prepare to revisit their iconic Circus Live spectacular.
Held in support of the band’s fifth studio album, The Circus (2,265,808 sales, OCC), the original 2009 run broke UK records as the fastest-selling tour in history with more than 600,000 tickets sold in under five hours. Over one million fans attended the sell-out shows across the UK and Ireland.
The tour featured fire-breathers, stilt-walkers, clowns, acrobats, tap dancers and a 30-foot-tall mechanical elephant, which carried the band through the audience.
Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen are reviving the outing for The Circus Live – Summer 2026, which kicks off later this month with two nights at Southampton’s St Mary’s Stadium.
Speaking exclusively in the June issue of Music Week, Dempsey said: “They’re doing The Circus tour again this year, a show that’s been requested by their audience since they did it in 2009. They’re famed for their live shows and that one in particular was really influential on many other acts and a truly iconic moment."
When they have looked back, they’ve done it to look forward
Chris Dempsey, Corduroy Artists
Promoted by SJM, Kennedy Street Enterprises and MCD, the trek comprises 17 stadium dates between May 29 and July 4. The shows will see the now three-piece perform the original 2009 set list, as well as new elements.
“They’ve always looked forward and very rarely back; this is one of the few occasions where they’re doing something again," said Dempsey. "Even the documentary involved a lot of looking back, but at the end there was a section about what’s happening now and the new single. When they have looked back, they’ve done it to look forward.”
On whether Take That could follow Harry Styles and Adele down the residency route, Dempsey was open to the possibility – but made clear that reaching fans on their own turf remained the priority.
“I think for some artists it can work and with the cost of touring these days, I can understand that,” he said. “I always think that audiences really appreciate you going to them and… we make a massive effort to do that. At the start of the last Take That album campaign, I sat with the band and we talked about what we wanted the next couple of years to look like. One of the things they said was they wanted to get out to new places, markets and cities, and we did that – not just around the UK, but places in Europe, particularly Eastern Europe, Asia… All markets they’d never been to before.”
He added: “There are a lot of fans that still love Take That all around the world. It reaffirmed that belief that fans really appreciate it when you go to them. I can’t comment on Harry or Adele doing residencies – it’s just a different way of doing it – and if you can make that work, then fantastic. Would we ever do a residency? Never say never.”
The boys’ streaming business has really grown over the years, and off the back of the documentary there have been further spikes
Chris Dempsey, Corduroy Artists
Dempsey, who left YMU to set up his own management business, Corduroy Artists, a year ago, described trust as the primary factor behind his long-standing association with the group.
“We’ve worked really hard,” he continued. “There’s no silver bullet to success; it’s about being hard-working, detailed, communicative, transparent and building trust. We’ve done a few albums now, quite a few tours, the Netflix doc. We’ve been through some great experiences together.”
The three-part Take That Netflix docu-series premiered on the streaming service in January, topping the platform’s UK chart and hitting the Top 10 in 28 countries.
Directed by David Soutar, the series told the story of their ’90s breakthrough to their noughties rebirth and beyond.
“All the stats have been through the roof,” said Dempsey. “That was one part of our plan to engage with audiences, whether it’s original fans from the ’90s or when they re-formed – we’re constantly trying to reach new people.”
The trio, who currently have just under six million monthly listeners on Spotify, also have an as-yet-untitled new album in the works for late 2026.
“The boys’ streaming business has really grown over the years, and off the back of the documentary there have been further spikes,” he said. “We don’t get caught up in constantly thinking about the charts. We love to have meaningful singles that connect with audiences – whether via streaming, live, videos, TV performances… It doesn’t really matter too much to us; it’s about the quality of the songs. We just want people to hear them.”
Dempsey – whose client roster includes Katherine Jenkins, Gabriella Cilmi, Amy Sergeant, Gracie Friel, Biba, Somebody’s Child and more – also maintained the importance of Take That’s physical business.
“We put a lot of effort into putting the physical products together – from merch items to records – and we have an audience that appreciates that,” he said. “We try to make them as interesting, innovative and beautiful [as possible].”
Subscribers can read the full interview with Dempsey here.
PHOTO: PAUL HARRIES
