SUPERFANS
It’s a notion that frequently comes up
in conversations with fans. Samantha
Hand, from Reading, was a Suede fan at
university but the real obsession came later
on when they helped her come to terms
with the grief of losing her father. She said:
“Suede are my world. They’ve provided
the soundtrack to my life through the highs
and the lows. Their music runs through my
veins to the deepest parts of my soul.
“Their Royal Albert Hall gig in 2010
is my favourite one to date. The energy
from the band and the fans that night was
unfathomable. Brett had recently lost his
dear friend Jesse and you could feel Brett’s
pain and the rawness throughout The Next
Life and He’s Gone. Feeling that pain
whilst dealing with my own – as my father’s
death was only a few weeks before – was
overwhelming but I felt a sense of comfort
through those songs.”
THIS CHARMING FAN
Emily Hyatt featured in a TV documentary
about superfans, talking about her love
of Radiohead but it is the Manic Street
Preachers who are her main passion.
After falling for them hard as a teenager
in the early 90s, she waned a little,
before reconnecting with them when she
needed them most. She says: “In 2015,
I had a breakdown and the Manics and
James [Dean Bradfi eld] played a pivotal
role in getting me through it.”
But it’s not just the musicians themselves
who fulfi l such a role. One of the main
benefi ts of being a fan is the fellow
appreciative folk you connect with.
“Despite my fascination with the link
between celebrities and people who are
dedicated to them, for almost everyone
fandom is essentially a social activity,”
explains Dr Duffett. “It is in large part about
the bonds that ordinary people form with
each other, using the star as a vehicle or
alibi for that social interaction.
“We can choose to see fans as isolated
people who are lost in their obsessions,
but it is more accurate and productive
to understand them as highly social
individuals who are using their interest in
particular celebrities as a way to educate
themselves, fi nd their own creativity, start
political movements, or fi nd other ways to
reach out to others.”
Emily agrees: “I’ve met so many
incredible people through my love of the
Manics,” she says. “I met my best friend
in a Manics chatroom back in 1998 and
we lived together, went to see the band
together. He died recently and we played
A Design For Life at his funeral. The Manics
were the reason my partner and I got
together – a photo I took of James that he
liked prompted him to get back in touch
after years of lapsed friendship.”
Fandom breaks down the barriers
of geography, too. Danielle Fice,
from Plymouth, a hardcore Thatter
(Take That fan) explains: “I’ve met
hundreds of people because of Take
That. When my friend and I went to
Dubai in 2013, we met a few ladies
in the queue – one from Australia,
one from Warrington and one from
Southampton. We have stayed in
touch ever since.”
Lisa Vine, from Poole in Dorset, a self-
confessed Blockhead (New Kids On The
Block fan), says: “Me and my sister go to
all the shows and we have met pretty much
all of our closest friends through NKOTB.
We also now have the most amazing
friends from all over the world.”
Samantha, who administrates the4,000-strong Insatiable Ones Suede fan
group on Facebook, adds: “We – the
Insatiable Ones – are outsiders but we
have fi nally found our tribe. I’ve gained
true friends who fi nally understand me.
During gigs, Brett sometimes asks if there
are any Insatiable Ones in the audience
and dedicates a song to us. That still blows
my mind. If you’d have told me back in
1993 that in 20-something years that
Suede would know who I am, I would
have laughed hysterically in disbelief!”I WANNA BE YOUR FAN
There is a notion that social media is
levelling the playing fi eld – giving fans
unprecedented access to their idols as well
as their tribe of fellow music fans. While
many musicians embrace this, others have
actively spurned it, choosing to stay away
from the noise.
Dr Duffett notes: “Social media is
undoubtedly changing the game. It is
making the ways that fans relate to stars
in all sorts of areas – sport, politics, music- converge. Fans can also quickly share
fi ctional stories, artworks and other forms
of creative expression in public that show
how much they care. They can easily
form their own communities and even
acquire fame in their own right within
such communities.
“Social media has made a massive
“We – the Insatiable Ones –
are outsiders but we have
fi nally found our tribe”
SAMANTHA HAND, SUEDE FANLisa Vine – New Kids
On The Block
“I fi rst became aware of NKOTB
when I was about seven years old.
My sister, Rhea (who is two years
older than me), and her best friend
at the time loved them which got
me into them in a big way, too.
It didn’t take long before I was
completely hooked and had posters
all over my walls from Smash Hits
magazine; and, of course, I was
convinced I was going to marry one
of them. I was too young to see
them the fi rst time around – they
split up in 1994 and reformed again
in 2008 – and I didn’t actually get
to see them live in concert until
2012 when they did a UK tour with
Backstreet Boys (NKOTBSB). This
was also the fi rst time I got to
meet the band in person, as they
offer meet-and-greet packages at
all of their shows. After that show,
I was completely hooked again on
the band that was my fi rst love.”