Maximillian Alberto "Max" George grew up with his family in manchester. Before music, he had been a football player with preston north end and was on the verge of signing a two-year deal with them, whilst he has been a manchester city supporter since a young age. Previously he was a member of avenue, a five-piece boy band made up of himself, jonathan lloyd, scott clarke, ross candy and jamie tinkler. They entered the third series of the x factor in 2006 and made it to louis walsh's bootcamp, but media reports exposed that avenue had not strictly adhered to the rules, having been signed by an earlier x factor music director to a deal. They were banned from participation for having professional representation rather than being specifically formed for the competition.