You may recall my sorrow last year at the passing of S Club. It was one of the first truly dark moments in music in this embryonic century.

Now with teenagers across the country reeling from another blow after Bryan's departure from Westlife, I'd like to take this opportunity to deny any rumours and assuage any fears that might be out there:

I really couldn't give a toss.

Frankly, I'm quite glad that Westlife finally appear to have encountered the beginning of the end. The departure of a member is so very often the thin end of the wedge for bands of any nature, but particularly those which were constructed to fit a marketing formula: with an ingredient missing, they don't taste right.

Take That couldn't live without Robbie, the Spice Girls lost their taste for group fun without Geri, the little one who could sing took the best (and I use that word very much in context) bit of East 17 with him when he opted for an early bath, and the Boyzone foot soldiers knew the writing was on the wall as soon as the words "solo single" came out of Ronan's mouth.

Yes, Atomic Kitten survived losing Kerry (no biggie) and Heidi (very much the Sugababes' gain), but you know what they say about cats. Hopefully now, though, this particular one has been put in a sack with some bricks and dropped in the Mersey.

And S Club did remarkably well to persevere as long as they did after Paul left, but the clock started ticking as soon as the 7 was ditched from the band name.

Now Westlife, in turn, are a man down.

By many accounts, Bryan was the most charismatic member of the group. Boys, the rest of you are screwed.

I won't pretend to have been a fan or hung on every word each of them said, but it strikes me that the Irish draw on their least engaging young men to form their boy bands. In a nation full of character and packed with born charmers, is it really coincidence that the most marketable talent comes without personality as standard?

And their music has been just as lacking in life. It takes real absence of talent to make average songs by great artists (Billy Joel, Abba) sound even worse. And those aren't the ones that were specially written for them.

So while the rest of Westlife boys have vowed to carry on without their fifth member, it can only be a matter of months before we hear the last of their bland ballads and saccharine covers.

Now if we could just do something about Blazin' Squad...