I was quite excited when I heard the news that UK pop group / boyband Bros were reuniting. Even though the members of the group are brothers and the guys never had a fall out that caused the band to split up, I just never expected Matt and Luke Goss to open the door again for another round of Brosmania. They seemed so settled in their new lives.
Bros had their big break pretty soon after they started with the song “When Will I Be Famous?”. Their synth-pop, good looks and clear fashion statement (levis jeans, white t-shirt and doc martens) took Europe by storm and, back at home in the UK, the guys anonymous lives were over within a heartbeat.
It was the first time, in many years, that fans were staking out outside of band members houses just to catch a glimpse of them and everywhere the group went, about 100 girls followed. I had personally never seen such a thing, but would’ve probably joined the girls if I could have.
Pretty quickly the third member, a friend of the brothers, left and he is now a big shot in music management. Then, it turned out their manager had taken all the money that the brothers were making and, after three albums, the curtain fell. Everyone went solo, before ending up in the States. Luke for making movies and Matt for performing in his own Las Vegas show. They ended on top. Both did very well and that’s why I didn’t expect any Bros reunion 30 years after their initial breakthrough.
All seemed well with their reunion. There were various tour dates announced in the UK, including two major shows in the O2 arena (London). A new single followed. They were shooting a documentary about the comeback. There was a buzz among the fans I still know and, after last weekend, the reunion got blasted by the press. The shows got average to bad reviews. Not at all what I expected.
Matt has had years of experience in performing, by now, so professionalism there is what you would expect. Luke has not been performing as a drummer for many years, but I’ve always had a suspicion that he kept playing drums and making music for his own amusement. The press therefore don’t speak out on their qualities, but more about the show itself. Fans, on the other hand, have given me positive feedback to read, especially their tribute to George Michael was the first thing to be passed onto me. I’m still sad I missed it, but am glad that Brosmania is not returning in the same madness it was back then.
