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Bros (British band)

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Bros
OriginCamberley, Surrey, England
GenresTeen pop, pop rock
Years active
  • 1986–1992
  • 2017–2019
Labels
Members
Past membersCraig Logan

Bros (/brɒs/[1]) are an English band formed in 1986 in Camberley, Surrey. The band originally consisted of twin brothers Matt and Luke Goss, and their friend Craig Logan, who attended Collingwood School in Camberley.[2] The band was managed by former Pet Shop Boys manager Tom Watkins. They achieved chart success and a large teenage fanbase in 1988 with songs such as "When Will I Be Famous" and "I Owe You Nothing". Early the following year, Logan quit the band and the Goss twins continued as a duo. After two more albums the band split up in 1992.

According to the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), Bros has been certified for sales of 1.3 million albums and 750,000 singles in the UK.[3] Bros are estimated to have sold 16 million records worldwide. In 2017, the Goss twins reunited to perform two dates as Bros at the O2 Arena in London.

History

Matt Goss (left) pictured in 1995
Luke Goss pictured in 1993

Early years

Luke Goss and Matt Goss (born 29 September 1968 in Lewisham, London[4]) had settled in Camberley, Surrey, after their parents had split up and their mother had found a new boyfriend, who bought Luke an electronic drum kit and Matt a saxophone, noticing their interest in music.[5] The twins attended Collingwood College,[5] where they became part of a band called Blue. At school they met Craig Logan (born 22 April 1969[6] in Kirkcaldy, Fife, Scotland[4]) who was playing bass guitar in another school band, Stillbrook. Logan recalled that the Goss brothers came to his house one evening to say they had split from their band, and asked Logan to join them in a new group.[7] Logan agreed, and the trio went through a variety of names for the group before settling on Gloss.

The group were noticed by Bob Herbert, who had ambitions to break into the music business as a manager – Herbert's son Chris was a classmate of the trio at Collingwood. Herbert allowed the group to practise in his summer house and paid for them to record demos, but he was unable to sign them to a contract as they were under 18 years old.[8]

During this period Gloss had met Nicky Graham, a songwriter and producer. Graham was working and writing songs with music manager Tom Watkins, and he suggested that Watkins meet the group.[9] Although he was unimpressed with either their look or their music, Watkins realised that he could shape the group into a boy band for the teen girl market, with Graham and Watkins writing the songs for them.[5] Gloss split from Herbert, and signed a contract with Watkins and his management company as soon as they turned 18.[8] Watkins renamed the band Bros, and he and Graham wrote the group's songs under the pseudonym of "The Brothers", in order to create the impression that the Goss brothers had written the songs themselves.[9]

Success

Bros's debut single, "I Owe You Nothing", was released in August 1987, but it only peaked at number 80 in the UK Singles Chart.[10] However, their breakthrough came with the release of their second single, "When Will I Be Famous?", in November 1987. The song reached number two in the UK,[10] and number one in Ireland.[11] The song also reached the top ten in 10 other countries across Europe and Australia, and peaked at number 10 in the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart.[12]

Bros followed up the success of "When Will I Be Famous?" with their third single, "Drop the Boy". Like its predecessor, it also peaked at number two in the UK[10] and was certified Silver by the BPI. and at number one in Ireland.[11] as well as reaching the top ten in Australia, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland and West Germany.

Bros released their debut album Push on 28 March 1988. Push entered the UK Albums Chart at number two.[10] Although it never reached number one, the album was eventually certified quadruple platinum in the UK,[13] as well as double platinum in Australia,[citation needed] platinum in New Zealand,[14] and gold in France,[15] Germany,[16] Spain[17] and Switzerland.[18] A deluxe 3-CD edition of Push was reissued in 2013 by Cherry Pop records for its 25th anniversary, featuring bonus tracks.[19]

Bros reissued a remixed version of "I Owe You Nothing" as a single in June 1988, which became their only number one single in the UK.[10] The song peaked at number two in Ireland[11] and in the top ten in eight other countries across the world, as well as giving them their second top ten hit on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart.[12] Two further singles were released from Push, "I Quit" in September 1988, which entered the UK charts at number four,[10] and "Cat Among the Pigeons", which was released in November 1988 as a double A-side with a version of the Christmas carol "Silent Night" and entered the UK charts at number two.[10]

Their first UK tour, known as Bros Push Live, sold out 14 shows within an hour of the tickets going on sale. Due to the demand, extra dates were added. [citation needed]

The group's popularity was named "Brosmania" by the music press, and their following of teenage girls were known as "Brosettes".[20] In September 1988 the Metropolitan Police had to close off part of Oxford Street in central London when an overwhelming number of fans turned up to a record signing by the band at the flagship store of record shop HMV.[21] Bros had over six million fans worldwide join the band's fan club, known as the Bros Front. With such demand for merchandise and fans wanting to talk to their idols, a phone line was set up, with 70,000 fans using the service within the first month.[citation needed]

Logan left the band in early 1989, due to several bouts of illness, including chronic fatigue syndrome,[22] and the fact he could no longer walk and was being assisted on and off stage. Logan was admitted to hospital for six weeks, and once released from hospital he spent a further six months of rehabilitation to learn to walk again.[23] Logan decided that the pressure of stardom was no longer for him and told Matt and Luke he was thinking of leaving the band. He appeared with the brothers at the 1988 Smash Hits Poll Winners Party; this was his final appearance as a member of Bros. He appeared on the BBC1 television programme Wogan discussing why he had left the band. During the interview Logan talked about the legal action he took against the management of Bros over unpaid royalties, but confirmed he left the band due to illness.[citation needed]

Bros continued as a duo, with Matt Goss and Luke Goss continuing with the sold-out world tour titled 'The Global Push', where the band played to fans in Australia, Japan, mainland Europe and the UK.[24][25]

After a short break recovering from their Global Push Tour, Bros went back to the recording studio and released their second album, The Time. The album was released on 16 October 1989 and reached number 4 in the UK Albums Chart. Bros released several tracks from the album as singles, including "Too Much", "Chocolate Box", "Madly in Love", and "Sister".

Bros did a one-off concert, "Bros in 2 Summer", which was seen by over 77,000 fans at Wembley Stadium in August 1989. The support acts for the show were Salt 'n' Pepa and Debbie Gibson.[26]

In 1991 Bros released their third and final album, Changing Faces, before the band split up in 1992. They released two tracks from the album: "Are You Mine?", reaching number 12 in the UK and "Try", which got to number 27.[10] The album was not highly publicised and entered the chart at number 18.

Bros achieved eleven top 40 singles and three top 20 albums in the United Kingdom. Worldwide, the group is estimated to have sold 16 million records.[20] The band never had commercial success in the US, where they remain relatively unknown.[27]

Careers after Bros

Matt Goss began a solo career during the 1990s, enjoying chart success with singles "The Key" and "If You Were Here Tonight",[28] and had his own Vegas Residency at The Palms,[29] Caesars Palace[30] and The Mirage.[31]

Luke Goss moved to the US and became a film actor, appearing in Hollywood movies such as Blade II and Hellboy II: The Golden Army. He starred in the UK film Interview with a Hitman in 2012 and released his directorial debut Your Move[32] in 2018.

Craig Logan became a songwriter and later an artist manager following his departure from the band in 1989. At the time he was in a relationship with singer Kim Appleby and co-wrote many of her solo songs. From 2006 to 2010 he was the head of RCA Records in the UK, before launching his own management company.[33]

Reunion

On 1 July 2008, singer Matt Goss told BBC News that he had spoken to the other members of the band and in principle they had agreed to reform, feeling that he and his bandmates "are finally at a place" where they could reunite.[34] However, his brother Luke denied any plans of taking part in a reunion.[35] On 14 September 2010, Matt Goss stated that the band would not be reuniting in the near future, saying that the moment had passed.[36]

On 19 August 2017 — 28 years to the day since the band's original farewell concert at Wembley Stadium. — Matt and Luke Goss played a 30th anniversary Bros concert at London's O2 Arena.[22] Craig Logan wished the Goss brothers success with the concerts, but confirmed he was not interested in taking part in the reunion.[33] A UK tour was scheduled, with a second date at the O2 Arena and shows in Manchester, Glasgow, Birmingham and Newcastle upon Tyne, but all the dates except the two shows in London and the show in Manchester were later cancelled, with the band blaming "unforeseen logistical circumstances".[37]

A documentary film of the brothers' reunion and the rehearsals and lead-up to the first concert at the O2 Arena, titled Bros: After the Screaming Stops, was shown on 18 October 2018 as part of the BFI London Film Festival and given a limited cinema release on 9 November 2018, with a DVD and digital release on 12 November.[38] The film debuted at number one on the UK's Official Music Video Chart.[39] It received its television debut on BBC Four on 23 December and became one of that year's Christmas television highlights due to its subsequent popularity on BBC iPlayer.[40]

Following the documentary's success, the duo played another concert at London's O2 Brixton Academy on 5 July 2019, followed by further UK tour dates.[41] They also planned[clarification needed] to re-record their debut album Push in a more contemporary style, and to release an album of new material in the future.[42]

Awards and nominations

Award Date of ceremony Category Result Ref(s)
Brit Awards 13 February 1989 British Breakthrough Act Won [43]

Discography

Bros discography
Studio albums3
Compilation albums3
Singles14
Video albums3
Music videos13
Remix albums1
Documentary videos1

Studio albums

Title Album details Peak chart positions Certifications
(sales thresholds)
UK
[10] 		AUS
[44][45] 		AUT
[46] 		GER
[47] 		JPN
[48] 		NLD
[49] 		NZ
[50] 		NOR
[51] 		SWE
[52] 		SWI
[53] 		US
[54]
Push 2 4 14 6 49 32 1 6 29 3 171
The Time
  • Released: 16 October 1989
  • Label: CBS
  • Formats: LP, CD, cassette
 4 34 — 34 11 90 — — 42 — —
Changing Faces
  • Released: 30 September 1991
  • Label: Columbia
  • Formats: LP, CD, cassette
 18 176 — — 78 — — — — — —

Compilation albums

Title Album details Certifications
(sales thresholds)
The Best of Bros
  • Released: 1 March 2004
  • Label: Columbia
  • Formats: CD
I Owe You Nothing: The Best of Bros
Bros: Gold
  • Released: 27 March 2020
  • Label: Demon
  • Formats: LP, CD

On the week ending 9 April 2020, Bros: Gold entered the UK Official Physical Albums Chart at No.8 based on sales of CDs, vinyl and other formats.[58]

Remix albums

  • The Best Remixes (1991, Japan only)

Singles

Year Title Peak chart positions Certifications Album
UK
[10] 		AUS
[44][45] 		AUT
[59] 		BEL
[60] 		FRA
[61] 		GER
[62] 		IRE
[11] 		NED
[63] 		NZ
[64] 		NOR
[65] 		SWE
[66] 		SWI
[67]
1987 "I Owe You Nothing" 80 — — — — — — — — — — — Push
"When Will I Be Famous?" 2 5 9 4 7 4 1 5 43 2 20 2
1988 "Drop the Boy" 2 9 17 34 — 9 1 23 8 2 — 5
"I Owe You Nothing" (re-release) 1 6 — 4 7 13 2 5 5 — — 9
"I Quit" 4 14 — 17 25 38 23 30 47 — — —
"Cat Among the Pigeons" / "Silent Night" 2 15 — — 41 26 4 91 27 — — —
1989 "Too Much" 2 11 — 21 37 28 1 42 6 — — 24 The Time
"Chocolate Box" 9 23 — 35 — — 2 87 29 — — —
"Sister" 10 98 — 36 — — 5 — — — — —
1990 "Madly in Love" 14 68 — 29 — — 7 — — — — —
1991 "Are You Mine?" 12 98 — 27 — — 6 — — — 30 — Changing Faces
"Try" 27 168 — 39 — — — — — — — —
2017 "Love Can Make You Fly" — — — — — — — — — — — — Non-album single
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Music videos

  • 1987 – "I Owe You Nothing"
  • 1987 – "When Will I Be Famous?"
  • 1988 – "Drop the Boy"
  • 1988 – "I Owe You Nothing" (reissue)
  • 1988 – "I Quit"
  • 1988 – "Cat Among the Pigeons"
  • 1988 – "Silent Night"
  • 1989 – "Too Much"
  • 1989 – "Chocolate Box"
  • 1989 – "Sister"
  • 1990 – "Madly in Love"
  • 1991 – "Are You Mine?"
  • 1991 – "Try"

Videography

Bros's first video album, Push Live Tour, was released mid-1988 on VHS, and LaserDisc in Japan; it was recorded at the Hammersmith Apollo. Their second video release, Push Over, was a collection of music videos for singles taken from their Push album. These music videos, together with others recorded later by the duo, were also published on their third video album The Big Picture in March 2005.[71]

Concert tours

The Big Push Tour

Date City Country Venue[73]
United Kingdom
23 June 1988 Sheffield England Sheffield City Hall
24 June 1988 Newcastle Newcastle City Hall
25 June 1988 Edinburgh Scotland Playhouse Theatre (afternoon & evening shows)
27 June 1988 Manchester England Manchester Apollo
28 June 1988 Newport Wales Newport Centre
30 June 1988 London England Hammersmith Apollo
1 July 1988
2 July 1988
4 July 1988 Nottingham Nottingham Theatre Royal
5 July 1988 Southampton Mayflower Centre
6 July 1988 Brighton Brighton Dome
7 July 1988 London Wembley Arena
8 July 1988

The Global Push Tour

Date City / Town Country Venue[73]
Australia
28 October 1988 Melbourne Australia National Tennis Centre
29 October 1988
31 October 1988 Brisbane Brisbane Entertainment Centre
3 November 1988 Sydney Sydney Entertainment Centre
4 November 1988
Europe
9 December 1988 Copenhagen Denmark Valby-Hallen
12 December 1988 Glasgow Scotland Glasgow SEC
13 December 1988 Whitley Bay England Whitley Bay Ice Rink
15 December 1988 Brighton Brighton Centre
16 December 1988
17 December 1988 Bournemouth Bournemouth International Centre
19 December 1988 Birmingham Birmingham NEC
20 December 1988
22 December 1988 Belfast Northern Ireland Belfast Kings Hall
23 December 1988 Dublin Ireland Dublin NEC
27 December 1988 London England Wembley Arena
28 December 1988
29 December 1988
30 December 1988
2 January 1989 Birmingham Birmingham NEC
3 January 1989
4 January 1989
5 January 1989
8 January 1989 Whitley Bay Whitley Bay Ice Rink
9 January 1989
11 January 1989 Bournemouth Bournemouth International Centre
16 January 1989 Paris France Le Zénith
23 January 1989 Dortmund Germany Westfalenhallen
26 January 1989 Budapest Hungary Budapest Sportcsarnok
29 January 1989 Milan Italy Palatrussardi
23 February 1989 Sanremo Music Festival

In 2 Summer (concert)

Date City Country Venue[74]
19 August 1989 London England Wembley Stadium
(attendance: 77,000)

Bros Live

Date City Country Venue[73]
19 August 2017 London England The O2 Arena
20 August 2017

References

  1. ^ Barrowman, John (interviewer). Electric Circus (Television production). United Kingdom: BBC. Archived from the original on 23 May 2014. Retrieved 22 September 2011.
  2. ^ McEwan, Fergus (12 October 2016). "Bros were 'beautiful peacocks' at school, says teacher". getsurrey. Retrieved 6 March 2017.
  3. ^ "Certified Awards". bpi.co.uk. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Bros". Smash Hits. 27 January – 9 February 1988. pp. 12–13.
  5. ^ a b c Watkins, Tom; Lindsay, Matthew (2016). Let's Make Lots of Money: Secrets of a Rich, Fat, Gay, Lucky Bastard. Virgin Books. ISBN 978-0-75354-196-8.
  6. ^ "Bitz". Smash Hits. 20 April – 3 May 1988. p. 4.
  7. ^ Burrell, Ian (30 July 2011). "'I never wanted to be famous': Craig Logan on the Bros years". The Independent. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
  8. ^ a b Perrone, Pierre (13 August 1999). "Obituary: Bob Herbert". The Independent. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
  9. ^ a b Graham, Nicky (September 2017). "I Wrote That: Bros – When Will I Be Famous". M. No. M65. Performing Rights Society. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
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  13. ^ a b "BRIT Certified Awards – Bros – Push". Bpi.co.uk. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
  14. ^ a b "Official Top 40 Albums: 18 December 1988". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  15. ^ "Les Certifications – Notre Base de Données". SNEP. Retrieved 12 March 2019.[permanent dead link‍]
  16. ^ a b "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank". BVMI. Retrieved 12 March 2019. Enter "Bros" under Interpret and "Push" under Titel, and click "Suchen".
  17. ^ Sólo Éxitos 1959–2002 Año a Año: Certificados 1979–1990 (in Spanish). Iberautor Promociones Culturales. ISBN 8480486392.
  18. ^ a b "Swiss Charts Edelmetall". Swisscharts.com. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
  19. ^ "Bros / "Push" 25th Anniversary 3CD Deluxe Edition track listing". superdeluxeedition. 6 September 2013. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
  20. ^ a b Singh, Anita (20 August 2017). "This was no cheesy nostalgia-fest: Eighties band Bros are back and they mean business – London's 02 Arena, review". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  21. ^ Kutner, Jon; Leigh, Spencer (2013). 1000 UK Number One Hits. Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-360-2.
  22. ^ a b Savage, Mark (5 October 2016). "Bros brothers reunite for 30th anniversary concert". BBC News. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
  23. ^ [1] [dead link‍]
  24. ^ ROCKMAN, LISA (5 May 2017). "Bros are back for love, not money". Newcastle Herald. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
  25. ^ "Bros announce Australian tour". News.com.au. 9 March 2017. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
  26. ^ Bros promise 'outrageously enjoyable' comeback – BBC News 5 October 2016
  27. ^ Guardian Staff (15 November 2003). "It's Goss, not gross, from now on". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  28. ^ "Matt Goss full Official Chart History". Official Charts. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
  29. ^ "Hyper-hip Matt Goss finds a fit at the Palms' 'Gossy Room'". Las Vegas Sun Newspaper. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
  30. ^ "Matt Goss to debut new residency show at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas". AXS. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
  31. ^ "Matt Goss set to return to the Strip at The Mirage". Las Vegas Review Journal. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
  32. ^ "Luke Goss interview: Your Move, Directing, Guillermo del Toro". Den of Geek. 19 February 2018. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
  33. ^ a b Savage, Mark (14 October 2016). "Craig Logan 'not interested' in joining Bros reunion". BBC News. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  34. ^ "Bros reunion tour plan revealed". BBC News. 1 July 2008. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
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  36. ^ "Goss rules out Bros reunion". Yahoo! News. 14 September 2010. Archived from the original on 18 September 2010. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
  37. ^ Savage, Mark (6 March 2017). "Bros scrap the majority of their 2017 reunion tour". BBC News. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  38. ^ Sherwin, Adam (17 October 2018). "Bros: After The Screaming Stops – Goss breakdown is the best music film since This Is Spinal Tap". The Independent i News. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  39. ^ "Official Music Video Chart Top 50: 18 November 2018 – 24 November 2018". Official Charts Company. 18 November 2018.
  40. ^ "'Funny/scary' Bros documentary becomes surprise Christmas TV hit". BBC News. 28 December 2018. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
  41. ^ "Bros to play comeback show after documentary goes viral". BBC News. 14 January 2019. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  42. ^ Gill, James (11 March 2019). "Bros on making a comeback and being better together". Balance. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
  43. ^ "History". BRIT Awards. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  44. ^ a b Australian chart peaks:
  45. ^ a b "Bubbling Down Under Week Commencing 21 October 1991". Bubbling Down Under. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
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  53. ^ "Hitparade.ch: Bros" (in German). Hitparade.ch. Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
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  55. ^ "Bros chart history, received from ARIA on 10 May 2022". Imgur.com. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
  56. ^ "BRIT Certified Awards – Bros – The Time". Retrieved 8 March 2019.
  57. ^ "BRITS Certified Awards – Bros – The Best of". Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  58. ^ "Official Physical Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. 3 April 2020. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
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  60. ^ "Bros Belgian Singles". Ultratop.be. ULTRATOP & Hung Medien / hitparade.ch. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
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  62. ^ "Bros German Singles". Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
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  65. ^ "Bros Norwegian Singles". Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
  66. ^ "Bros Swedish Singles". Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
  67. ^ "Bros Swiss Singles" (in German). Hitparade.ch. Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
  68. ^ "BRIT Certified Award – Bros – Drop the Boy". Retrieved 8 March 2019.
  69. ^ "BRIT Certified Awards – Bros – Silent Night/Cat Among the Pigeons". Retrieved 8 March 2019.
  70. ^ "BRIT Certified Awards – Bros – Too Much". Retrieved 8 March 2019.
  71. ^ "Official Music Video Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. 20 March 2005. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  72. ^ "Bros: After the Screaming Stops". BBC. 2018. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  73. ^ a b c Bros Setlist
  74. ^ BROS – "In2Summer" Wembley Stadium – special one-off concert – Recorded and aired on TV in the UK
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