Eighties boy band Bros returned to the stage for the first time in nearly 30 years when they played London at the weekend.
Twin brothers Matt and Luke Goss performed at the O2 Arena on Saturday and Sunday, once again performing hits such as ‘Drop The Boy’, ‘I Owe You Nothing’ and ‘When Will I Be Famous’.
A few days before the shows (the first of which sold out in seven seconds), I met up with Matt to chat about their comeback. The last time Bros played live was at Wembley Stadium twenty eight years ago.
“It’s strange,” Matt said. “I’ve done 1,500 odd shows in my residencies in Las Vegas and around the world, and then you have to come in and do these two massive shows at The O2 in London that represent far more than shows. It’s Bros coming back and the engines starting again. This is the beginning of who knows what. Anything is possible after this.”
As well as a nod to their previous chart success, Matt and Luke also paid tribute to the late George Michael in their reunion show. Joining the brothers on stage were singers that previously sang with George, including Luke’s wife Shirley Lewis.
“The person that was really close to George was Shirley,” Matt said. “She sang on Freedom and Father Figure. George had a big impact on our family. He was one of the first celebrities to put his arm around me and give me some solid advice. I wish I had known him better because he could have come and crashed by my pool in Vegas and just chilled.”
“George would want his music to be a place of rejoice. We want it to be a celebration of George. We don’t want it to be sombre. We saved the tribute for a very special part of the show.”
Bros would probably prefer you to remember them for their music, their ripped jeans/Grolsch bottle-top shoes or their album sales (10 million copies for debut album Push); but the reality is that many will instantly think of previous band member Craig Logan quitting and successfully suing the band, their near-bankruptcy, or the French & Saunders spoof. Matt took Dawn and Jennifer’s impressions of his band on the chin.
“That parody was the ultimate compliment,” Matt said. “You have to understand who they were. French and Saunders were the centre of the universe back in the eighties, and they paved the way for Absolutely Fabulous. That whole period was so phenomenal.
“I remember when I saw a parody of us on Spitting Image. You feel like you’ve made it when you appear on those shows. Why would I be annoyed by it? Comedy has to be immediate, so they can’t risk doing a parody of people that nobody knows.”
● The new Bros single, ‘Love Can Make You Fly’ is out now
