The Wanted: Late Tom Parker 'always there', says bandmate

12 minutes ago Anna Jameson and Georgie Docker, North West BBC The Wanted's Max George said hearing late bandmate Tom Parker's voice is his favourite part of being of stage With four million singles and a million album sales under their belts, The Wanted were one of the biggest boy bands in the 2010s. After breaking through onto the music scene in America, the band enjoyed global success before tragedy struck when Bolton-born Tom Parker died from a brain tumour in 2022 at the age of 33. As band members Max George and Siva Kaneswaran set off on tour as The Wanted 2.0, George, from Swinton, in Manchester, spoke to BBC North West Tonight about Parker, returning to the stage as a two-piece, and going through heart surgery. He spoke ahead of The Wanted 2.0 performing at Manchester Academy on Friday. The Wanted formed as a five-piece boy band in 2009, and had Max George, Siva Kaneswaran, Jay McGuiness, Tom Parker, and Nathan Sykes in the line-up. "It was a shock because I'd never, ever thought that I'd ever be in a band that was successful," George said. PA Max George and Siva Kaneswaran performing together as The Wanted 2.0 The bandmembers had each been selected as part of a mass open audition held by talent manager Jayne Collins, who had also put together The Saturdays. "I was sort of in so I could afford just to have a few beers at the weekend, go out with my mates and put a roof over my head," George said. "That was my vision with it because I loved doing it." The Wanted's first single All Time Low was released in 2010, putting them into the UK charts But in May 2011 the band released Glad You Came. It was the second single from their second album was released, and it changed everything. "All of a sudden it took off," George recalled. "Our record label rang me and said it was selling over 300,000 copies a week. "I was just mind-blown." He said the success in America brought the band a whole new level of fame. "It was life-changing," he said. "Obviously we'd had success here. "But when you get it on a scale somewhere as big as America, it really does change your life. "The number of people that come to see you and recognise you walking through New York... was just crazy." PA Tom Parker was diagnosed with an incurable brain tumour in 2020 The band announced they were having a break in January 2014. Six years later, Parker was diagnosed with inoperable stage four glioblastoma. The Wanted released their first single in seven years in October 2021, followed by a greatest hits album the next month. After accompanying the band on a 12-date UK tour, Parker died in March 2022. "I think with any loss you have days that are terrible, but then weeks where you feel fine. And then all of a sudden you think 'Why have I not been upset the last few weeks? "I think that's just the way that you deal with stuff." George is currently embarking on tour with Kaneswaran. It is the second tour the pair have done since Parker's death. "I get reminded [of Tom] all the time," George said. "Me and Tom always used to be in each other's ears because we'd sing together on lead vocals. "I still have his voice playing in my ears when we're on stage. "He's always there which is lovely for me. I love that. "It's my favourite thing about doing the show." PA The Wanted 2.0 are currently touring the UK on their (We're) Glad You Came tour Since The Wanted 2.0's first toured in America in 2024, George has been through a health scare of his own. Nearly two years ago, doctors discovered he had a blockage in his heart, requiring urgent surgery. "I had the pacemaker put in but then it became apparent that there was a mistake," he said. "That made me even worse. "So I had to have it removed and put back in and it took me about a year to get over it." He said he had to get through his illness, not just for himself, but for his family. "When you're so ill you're not really that scared yourself," George said. "You just feel out of it." "But when you see that look in your mum's eyes and you see what it's doing to her.. that's the bit that wakes you up and makes you think 'God, I have to get through this'. George added: "This is a whole new chapter with Siva. I love working, I love being on stage and forgetting about this stuff." The Wanted 2.0 kicked off their 2026 UK tour in Bath at the start of the month. After their Manchester show on Friday, the band have four more shows across the country before their final night in Dublin on 19 November. More on this story