20th February 1999 - WestSide have changed their name to WestLife.
from the BBC radio 1 web-site:
Possible Name Change for Ronan’s Band Westside:
Ronan Keating's band Westside have been officially launched to the press - despite the fact that they may have to change their name in the next few weeks. Their record company hosted a showcase for the boy band - but at the same time they're taking advice on whether to re-name the group.
Westside were brought together by Ronan and Boyzone's manager, Louis Walsh. They chose the name because they're all from the West Side of Ireland. The only trouble is, the National Band Register has records of EIGHT other bands who have Westside in the title, including a French band called Westside Boyz. The ‘phone book lists 104 UK companies with Westside in their name and the record company are worried about merchandising rights to spin-offs like T-shirts. Ironically, Boyzone themselves ran into the same trouble - they had to buy the name from a 70s band of the same name.
A complete name change would be a costly exercise for the record company - the band have already won the Smash Hits Newcomers Award as Westside. But the boys themselves told the Net they won't let a little thing like a name change get them down: "The name isn’t gonna change that much, anyway. It’s just a bit of the name - it’s gonna be West something, ‘coz we’re still keeping the fact that we’re from the West of Ireland and the West of Europe". The band assure us it won’t be Westzone and say there is a positive side to changing their name: "I suppose that it can be seen in a good point of view, that we are gonna get more press now".
| Stephen Gately (from Boyzone) --seen here at the Smash Hits Poll Winner's Party with WestSide -- has written WestSide a song called "Where do we go" and is giving it to them to record. WestSide's other two songs which they have previously performed on TV are "Swear it again" and "Flying without wings". |