Do you have someone in your life to share your fandom with? Growing up, my sister was literally the only other Take That fan I knew.

After seeing the video for “It Only Takes A Minute” in ’93, I was instantly obsessed and felt a strong need to share my new found love with someone. I was 14 and my sister was 12. I spent some time making the case for how wonderful this band was, showing her pictures and playing her the songs. After we went to a concert together in ’94, she was hooked. 

Mark Owen was her favourite. Once, I had borrowed her camera for a trip and it got stolen. As a way to make it better, I bought her a framed picture of Mark. When I got home and gave her the picture, she loved it and couldn’t care less about the camera! Of course my parents (who had paid for that camera) were not amused.

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In our teenage years, me and my sister’s shared love of Take That helped us connect on a deeper level. It was the one big thing we had in common and sharing our adoration for those boys made it easier to start opening up about other feelings as well. Growing up in a home where emotions weren’t really talked about at all, this was a big deal for us.

Together we stood stronger in shrugging off the ridicule cast upon us by our parents, younger brothers and wider society. We went to concerts together, we watched tv appearances and video tapes together, and bought each other Take That related gifts. When the band broke up, we were each other’s support system. I don’t know what I would have done in those years without my sister!

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These drawings are based on selfies my sister and I made while in the queue or inside a venue, in happy anticipation of a Take That show. 

As adults, going to concerts has been an opportunity for us to spend time together, as we now live in different countries. She has visited me in Berlin and we’ve gone on weekend trips to the UK to go to shows. During the many long hours of queuing we would catch up on each other’s lives, as well as reconnect with our teenage selves and our shared childhood. 

In recent years I have remained slightly more obsessed than she has, and that’s fine. I’m pretty sure we’ll never stop going to concerts together, whether it’s Take That or a different artist. I am forever thankful for having my sister to share my fangirl thoughts and have fun with, and for finding that silly boy band to help us get closer.