Since last we checked in on the dueling British boy bands currently vying for the hearts (and dollars) of the nation’s youth, the competition has been mostly one sided. One Direction, the younger, shaggier ensemble, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 200; performed on the Today show; and hung out with their new buddy and sorta-label-mate Justin Bieber. This weekend, they’ll take center stage on Saturday Night Live, which has been on a hot streak of talked-about musical performances. 1D is killing it, more or less. But that does not mean that The Wanted, the slightly older, edgier, and Vulture-reader-preferred band, is gonna sail back to England and cry into their crumpets. Instead, those guys upped the national television ante last night with a “Glad You Came” performance on American Idol. The video below is not exactly awesome quality, but you’ll get a sense of the atmosphere at least, which was: teens jumping and screaming while the dudes just kind of amble around the stage. Sometimes they point at the camera, and Nathan, the peppy one, almost busts a move after his “drink it if you can” line. But dancing is not really a major feature of this Boy Band Revival, huh? Whither the painfully choreographed five-dude dance break?
