BROS

NOW

So where are the former members of 80s boy band Bros now? These days front man Matt Goss is a solo singer/songwriter.  Managed by Pussy Cat Dolls creator Robin Antin, he is currently performing a live show residency at the famed Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas.

Matt has been based in the US since the early 90s, and as well as working on his own music has penned tracks for artists such as Keri Hilson and Akon. In addition his material has been used in the movie Stuart Little and TV show So You Think You Can Dance.

His own singles  have included Evil, I’m Coming With Ya and Fly, the latter two charted at number 22 and 31 respectively in the UK charts. He has also released  four solo albums, and toured the UK. In between staying busy with his music, in 2004 he appeared on ITV reality TV show Hell’s Kitchen and released an autobiography More Than You Know.

Matt’s twin brother, former Bros drummer Luke (below) embarked on an acting career after the demise of the group, which has been relatively successful. He has appeared in over 20 movies. Two of his most noted films include Blade II (2002) and Hell Boy 2: The Golden Army (2008). He has just begun filming Death Race: Frankenstein Lives in which he plays the lead role of Frankenstein.

Luke, who lives in L.A, is married to former popstar Shirley Lewis of the group Pepsi and Shirley – remember they used to do back-up vocals for Wham? Luke has also appeared on stage in productions such as Grease.

Bros’ third member Craig Logan actually left the group in 1989, a couple of years before the group’s official break-up. I remember clearly the press reporting on him allegedly having the illness M.E, and about his pay-off from the band, which at the time was reported to be about 1.2 million, after he refused the initial offer.

After leaving the group Craig Logan (above) worked as a producer for Kim Appleby (formerly of Mel & Kim). He then went to work in the sales department at EMI records, later gaining kudos for managing global pop starlet Pink’s early career. Then in 2006, he became  head of Sony BMG’s UK branch of RCA Records. He resigned in March of 2010 to form a new management company Logan Media Entertainment, and a new imprint label with Sony Music UK, called 247 Recordings. Craig was also engaged to Danni Minogue at one point.

THEN

Back in 1987 British boy band Bros took the UK by storm. Twins Matt and Luke Goss and their cousin Craig Logan, were just 19 when they first burst on the scene. I always thought their debut was single was When Will I Be Famous? which went to number one in 1988. However it was in fact I Owe You Nothing, which failed to reach the top 40 first go round, so they re-released it a year later.

I liked Bros back in the day, but I wasn’t one of those die-hard crazy fans who copied their look of Dr Martens with the Grolsch bottle tops attached, ripped denim jeans and black leather jackets. However there were plenty of girls in my secondary school who did! Crazy mo-fos (i kid!) Back then everybody was crazy about either Matt and Luke, and I could appreciate they were both good looking boys with their bleached blond crew cuts and sparkling blue eyes. But me wanting to be different decided that Craig was my favourite – and that was my main motivation, to be different to everyone else. Maybe I felt a bit sorry for him too, as he didn’t get as much attention as the other two.

Other singles from their multi-platinum album Push included Drop The Boy (one of my faves), I Quit and of course I Owe You Nothing, which reached number one second time round.

Like most boy bands Bros were associated with screaming girls (Brosettes) and were labelled by ’serious music peeps’ as a bit of a fad.  However one thing I will say about the group is that Matt really had a fantastic voice, a lot stronger that most boy banders. In fact I will go as far as to say he was seriously under-rated as a vocalist.

Another one of my favourite songs from Bros was the ballad Cat Among The Pigeons, which was released around Christmas. I remember making a mixtape of the music in the charts at the time (Christmas 1988), and Inner City’s Good Life, Neneh Cherry’s Buffalo Stance, Michael Jackson’s Smooth Criminal and Kylie and Jason’s Especially For You were also in the top ten. lol! They were all on my mixtape!

Bros were managed by Tom Watkins, who also managed The Pet Shop Boys and East 17 a few years later, and lasted for about 4-5 years, which is the usual shelf life for a boy band. Craig left the band in 1989, denying press reports that  illness was the reason and put it down to creative differences. Many thought he had a lucky escape when it was alleged by the press that the brothers were bankrupt just a few years later.

But before they did break-up they released a couple more albums The Time and Changing Faces. But by this time I had completely lost interest in the band. I guess the music they were bringing out wasn’t as catchy as the stuff from their first album. Also another boy band New Kids On The Block, who I had started liking a couple of years earlier, were taking up all my ‘teenage hormonal energy’! Lol! But more about them later…