This was no cheesy nostalgia-fest: Eighties band Bros are back and they mean business - London's 02 Arena, review
History has not been kind to Bros. Partly because they wore some very silly outfits even by Eighties standards, but also because twins Matt and Luke Goss were impossibly pretty and announced their intentions by bursting onto the music scene in 1988 with a song called When Will I Be Famous?
They sold 16 million records and unleashed “Brosmania” but eventually sank beneath the weight of headlines about squandered fortunes and repossessed Porsches. A third member, bassist Craig Logan, quit after an unfortunate incident in Berlin involving fisticuffs and a wheelchair, and successfully sued for a share of royalties. Their core fanbase was screaming schoolgirls, which never does much for a band’s credibility.
Full disclosure: I was one of those Brosettes, they were the first band that I ever went to see, and the news that they were staging a comeback show after a 28-year hiatus had me squealing with delight. Ditto the rest of the 12,000-strong O2 audience (11,900 women and 100 reluctant husbands). Some had recreated the old Bros look: ripped jeans, white T-shirts, red bandanas and Grolsch bottle tops attached to shoes. The gig sold out in seven seconds, although some subsequent dates around the country were later cancelled.
But this was no cheesy nostalgia-fest celebrating the decade that fashion forgot. It was clear from the moment that the band appeared on stage - Matt’s leather jacket the only nod to their Eighties look - that they were taking this very seriously indeed. The impressive two-hour show ran through the band’s hits - most from their criminally underrated debut album, Push - and served as a reminder that Bros produced great pop songs (lyrics notwithstanding: they remain the only band to rhyme “dance” with “Karl Marx”).
Matt was note perfect, his still-terrific voice honed by a decade as a successful lounge singer in Las Vegas. His choice of stagewear - diamanté-skull trousers, a sparkly top of which Liza Minnelli would be proud, and a large fedora - contrasted with that of shaven-headed drummer Luke in a Soundgarden vest.
Their demeanour was different too. Luke, who has carved out a Hollywood career since leaving the band, grinned throughout but Matt appeared anxious - tentative on the opening number, their only number one single I Owe You Nothing, and rarely cracking a smile. It was a measure of how much this show meant.
The stage dynamic of frontman and drummer was always unusual but somehow it worked, with the brothers getting equal time on the big screens and Matt giving regular shout-outs to his twin. Luke came down to the front of the stage to lend moral support for an acoustic section, which was accompanied by a montage of family photographs including their deceased mother and sister.
In the end, it was a rendition of Freedom! '90 - performed as a tribute to George Michael (Luke’s wife, Shirley Lewis, was one of the late star’s backing singers and performed here too) that really raised the roof. The joy of the song was infectious and even those reluctant husbands were dancing in the aisles. Without the pressure of performing his own material, Matt was visibly relaxed. Few other singers could do George Michael justice - it’s time for a Bros reappraisal.
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