Westlife pledge to stay together

Boyband Westlife pledged tonight to continue playing for as long as fans bought their records.

The four-man band, who won the Best Irish Pop Act in the Meteor Ireland Music Awards last night said every accolade now meant more than ever after seven years together.

This is the sixth year in a row the band have won the award.

Westlife became a four-man outfit last year after Brian McFadden left to launch a solo career.

Nicky Byrne said at the award show in Dublin: “The funny thing about Westlife at the minute is there is no end in sight.”

Byrne said the band were making their own history in terms of pop bands by the length of time they have stayed at the top.

He said they would continue as long as “the four of us love what we do and we get on”.

He added: “We are going to finish when we want to finish, when the fans stop buying our records.”

Earlier Westlife manager Louis Walsh revealed he would be forming another boyband with Westlife singer Kian Egan in two to three years.

However, he said there were two more albums left in Westlife.

Walsh said: “It was this night last year that Brian (McFadden) told me he wanted to leave the band.”

But Walsh said the band were here tonight in Dublin Point Theatre and still going strong.