- by Simon Guirao
Matt Goss Feature
It’s pissing down in Belgravia. It’s the last week of May, and the tardy April showers are drenching the streets and soaking the feet of the rich and famous, who areducking into Harvey Nicks for some shelter. It’s all just so quintessentially British. As is the pub I’m headed to – The Nag’s Head. It couldn’t seem more born of Albion if it had been written by John Sullivan and had Del-Boy, Trigger and Dave propping upits bar (or falling through it). The gruff landlord, Kevin, is taken straight out of Quadrophenia or the Long Good Friday. But all this pales when today’s interviewee shows up. He's immaculate, with not a hair out of place. Resplendent in a tan suit, complete with tan hat, tie pin and an umbrella that would complete the look even if it wasn’t British summer time, the man in front of me is part David Niven, part Terence Stamp, part Alex DeLarge, and all Matt Goss. He oozes a class that you just don’t see anymore. If the UK had its own version of the Rat Pack, Matt could surely be its leader. He’s like the Lewisham Sinatra. And after conquering America via his highly esteemed Las Vegas residency and becoming the spiritual heir to the aforementioned Chairman of the Board, he’s come home to reestablish his dominion over the musical soul of this sceptred isle.
For those who weren’t around the first time, it’s hard to overstate just how famous this man was. Back in 1988, those not quite ready for the second Summer of Love and the rave scene were getting their serotonin kicks from a different source – Bros. Consisting of twins Matt and Luke Goss and schoolfriend Craig “Ken” Logan, the south London trio had nearly as much of an impact on the pop world as the Beatles had a generation earlier. Brosmania was everywhere – from causing a riot in theWest End with a signing at HMV, to scooping a Brit award and massive tours thatculminated in a show at Wembley Stadium which sold out in a matter of minutes,Bros were a cultural phenomenon. Even Princess Diana was a Brosette. Theylittered the upper echelons of the charts with cuts of pure pop perfection such as When Will I Be Famous, I Owe You Nothing and Drop The Boy, and put out three best-selling albums, including their debut, Push – one of the best pop records ever committed to vinyl – before they called it a day. An all too brief but dazzling and explosive light, they straddled the last two decades of the millennium, and blazed a trail that would be followed by Take That, East 17 and Boyzone in the years to follow.So how did it all come to pass?
“I was in a production of Cabaret at school. A lot of people were saying they loved my voice, so Luke allowed me to audition for lead singer in the band,” says Matt. “Luckily, nobody else turned up, so the odds were stacked in my favour and I got the job. Then we did a video with a guy called Bob Herbert, who later discovered the Spice Girls, as well as winning Sounds magazine’s best new band.”
After a false start with Arista, Bros were signed to Sony, who released Push, which went quadruple platinum, peaking at number 2. Brosmania erupted to a different level, and the Brit Award for Breakthrough act followed, and then a sell-out string of shows at Wembley. By now, Craig has dropped out, citing extreme knackeredness, and the Goss twins continued as a duo. A couple more albums followed, but the heights of 1988-90 were not scaled again, and pressures in the band led to its premature demise.
“I felt like there's always been that underlying resentment from my brother as I was the singer. In hindsight, I don't think we should have split the band; it was a mistake – any bands listening to this, don't break up! Just take a break. It's much healthier. When I left the band, I was floored. There was zero guidance around us, and it was a whirlwind for sure. But I managed to carve out at a path, avoiding a few land mines, stepping on a few...”
Surviving the perils of the minefields, in the following years Matt maintained a respectable solo career, but where he really shone was in Vegas. Taking up a residency in 2009 at the Palms Casino before being poached by Caeser’s Palace, he conquered America’s answer to Sodom and Gomorrah to such an extent that hehas since been given the keys to the city. They’ve even named 8th August as Matt Goss Day. How the fuck did that happen? I want my own day.
“I did a song called Evil, and the entertainment director at the Palms Casino loved the video and said, ‘We want this guy in our casino!’ They sent a private jet for me a few days later– in America it’s a lot more gung-ho, things move a lot quicker – but then I didn’t hear anything for ages. Eventually I got a call from the entertainment director saying, ‘don’t worry, we’re just figuring out the deal – if you don’t get this show, I’ll give you my watch.’ It was a nice watch. Then the next day he called and said ‘I’ve got good news and bad news. The bad news is you’re not getting my watch. Welcome to Las Vegas.’ So then I started rehearsing and building my show – it had some Bros hits, some of my hits and music that I loved – I thought what better time to dig into the great American song book. We smashed it there for 9 months,then Caesar’s Palace came calling and gave me my own showroom and some of the best memories of my life. I think Vegas trumps most things I’ve done in my life – the billboards, the people, the A-listers who come and see you. I did four shows a week for 11 years. Vegas was the closest I’ve ever come to getting a proper job, and I learned more there than anywhere else. It taught me composure, that I had more time than I thought to communicate with my audience – you can just stop and chat. It taught me so much about the energy of an audience. You’ve got to check your ego at the door – you’re their night out. What a privileged position that is.”
To say he conquered Vegas might be understating it. While there, as well as the keys to the city and best dressed man nods, he was also the recipient of the United Nations Humanitarian Award for his charity work with the troops and on behalf of veterans, both over there and over here.
“It was crazy, I had no idea what was happening,” Matt says of when they decided to surprise him mid-gig with the gong. “I was like ‘why are we stopping the show? Am I getting arrested?!’”
Appreciation of the services is something that is close to Matt’s heart. “My grandfather was a gunner in the Second World War,” Matt says, pride tweaking the corners of his mouth. “I feel very connected to serving personnel who put themselves in danger to afford us our freedoms. It’s like the NHS – you don’t appreciate it until it’s gone or under threat. If wasn’t for those guys back in the Second World War, we wouldn’t be here now. It's not just about ceremony – it's about honouring one of the greatest generations. So much time and energy is put into these memorials, and it so important we never, ever forget all they did.”
The love for those who’ve served culminated this summer, when his song Not Forgotten, written for the charity of the same name, was played on the forecourt of Buckingham Palace as part of the 80th anniversary celebrations of VE Day, with Matt accompanying the Coldstream Guards for the performance. And over the pond, he has even been made an honorary Captain of the 17th Special Battalion for his efforts.
Towards the end of Matt’s tenure in Sin City, Bros came back into the collective consciousness with the release of the excellent documentary Bros: After the Screaming Stops in 2018. Part Spinal-Tap, part Partridgean, but all endearingly charming, the doc followed the boys as they prepared for a sold-out series of reunion shows in 2017. It was a surprise smash hit and thrust Bros back into the spotlight.
“I feel very proud of the documentary. It’s honest. There's no fluff in it. It's not a“aren't we great?” documentary. It's fucking real. We have problems, you know, we're dysfunctional. That Stevie Wonder comment (Matt says at one point he’s “made a conscious decision, because of Stevie Wonder, to not be superstitious”. Fair. I can think of worse advice to take from a song). I can see the comedic side of it. But as I always say, I stand by those words – I read the lyrics when I was a kid. In those days, the lyrics and the liner notes were like a religion to us.”
The popularity of the documentary stoked the fire for the band and the British public have held a candle for them since. Matt has just finished an 18-date tour and is back in the UK after 25 years away. He’s very glad to be home and he looks it. I wonder if all his years in Vegas have caused him to lean into the dapper British gent vibe as a way of maintaining his cultural identity. His love for his home country is obvious.
“I feel very grateful. I needed to see the country again and to feel connected to its traditions – the architecture, the food, the language, the music, the parks and the forests, the institutions – I love when I get into a Black Cab and feel invisible.”
Matt sips his Guinness and settles into his reverie. He’s soft spoken and thoughtful. He's very calming and open, and you can see how much love he's projecting into the world around him. He's very comfortable in his own skin and cuts a picture of the quintessentially British gent like hardly one else does these days. If you looked up dapper in the Oxford English Dictionary, the entry would be a picture of Matt Goss. It’s good we’ve got him back. Loaded salutes you, Captain Goss. You tha boss.
Matt’s new album is out in the autumn.
All photos by the talented: @paulharries