BBMAK’s Mark Barry ‘Excited’ About Tour Following Announcement of US Dates After 16-Year Hiatus (Exclusive)

After a nearly 16-year hiatus from the music industry, UK sensation, BBMAK, made up of Mark Barry, Christian Burns and Stephen “Ste” McNally, are coming back here, baby — and heading across the U.S. in their first tour since splitting up in 2003. The acclaimed trio reunited on ABC’s Good Morning America last month, surprising fans with the announcement of their return, while performing their 1999 number one hit, “Back Here,” alongside “Bullet Train” — the first single off their forthcoming record, Powerstation releasing this fall.

In an exclusive with PopCulture.com in anticipation of the new record out Oct. 11, Barry revealed he was really excited about the upcoming tour across the states and heading back out on the road with new music after more than a decade and a half later.

“We’re excited,” Barry exclusively told PopCulture.com. “We’re back out again doing our thing, doing a lot of the old stuff, some new stuff off the new album, so just to be back and seeing a lot of old faces that I’ve been following around for many years, it’s great.”

Barry admits the band “can’t thank fans enough” for their support even after all these years.

“I’ve been there from day one and seeing people in the crowd, it’s a great thing and very excited to be coming back. We have a lot of fun,” he said.

Touted one of the best boy bands of the 2000s by the likes of both Billboard and Entertainment Weekly, the guitar-driven trio found lasting success when their single, “Back Here” made it to number one on the U.S. adult contemporary charts for 11 weeks. The accomplishment was soon followed by their music being featured on soundtracks for Disney’s The Princess Diaries, Return to Neverland, and appearances on both Even Stevens and Lizzie McGuire.

BBMAK closed out the millennium with a sold out 26 U.S. concert tour and a live performance on MTV’s Time’s Square in New Year’s Eve special. The certified gold artists would later tour with NSYNC on their 2001 tour, PopOdyssey for the first leg of their North American dates.

With new music on the horizon and their new single, “So Far Away” now available on iTunes and streaming platforms, Barry says touring this time around will be different considering the time away. But it’s something he is wholeheartedly thrilled to embark on with fellow Liverpool band members, Burns and McNally.

“It’s different these days because it makes you appreciate that there’s so much now than in 2000,” Barry said. “But then, I’m trying to kind of take things in because we were on flights overseas, going here, there, everywhere — so it was all about the whirlwind.”

Barry credits being “a lot older and wiser” to his newfound appreciation for not just the music, but of performing on stage and connecting with fans.

“That time without the music, it makes me appreciate even more now having this chance again — and, believe me, we do make the most of every day together when we’re performing and connecting with the fans. It’s an amazing thing!” Barry said.

The tour, dubbed Back Here is set to kick off in San Diego, California on Nov. 3 and wrap up overseas in Glasgow, UK on Dec. 16. Tickets go on sale Friday, Sept. 13 at 10 a.m. PT.

Back Here – Tour Dates

• Nov. 3 House of Blues / Voodoo Room – San Diego, California
• Nov. 5 Belasco Theater – Los Angeles, California
• Nov. 6 Slims – San Francisco, California
• Nov. 7 House of Blues – Anaheim, California
• Nov. 15 Epcot/ WDW – Orlando, Florida
• Nov. 16 Epcot/WDW – Orlando, Florida
• Dec. 12 02 Academy Islington – London UK
• Dec. 13 02 Academy 2 – Birmingham, UK
• Dec. 15 Academy 3 – Manchester, UK
• Dec. 16 Oran Mor – Glasgow, UK

For more information on BBMAK, visit their official website and buy your tickets here. The highly anticipated third studio album, Powerstation is out Oct. 11, 2019. And stay tuned for more with BBMAK only at PopCulture.com!

Photo credit: John Lamparski/Getty Images