Bros promise 'outrageously enjoyable' comeback
"There's a big difference between having to do something and wanting to do something," says Matt Goss.
By Mark SavageBBC Music reporter "And that's the key element here: We wanted to be on stage together again." Finally, after decades of unanswered Brosette prayers, Bros have reunited. They will play a one-off (for now) show at the O2 Arena in London next August - 28 years to the day after their final show at Wembley Stadium in 1989. After announcing the gig to the world at a press conference in London, twin brothers Matt and Luke, who still look improbably chiselled at 48, sat down to discuss their comeback with the BBC. It will be "outrageously enjoyable," they promised... The press conference was your first time on stage together in more than a quarter of a century. How did it feel? Luke: Metaphorically speaking, it's like popping a champagne cork. That little pop is a nice feeling. Matt: It's great to be on stage - it might not be a musical stage - but it's great to be on stage with my brother Luke. We've known about this for a while and we've had to be so careful about what we say. So it's nice to finally be able to say, "Yes, Bros will be at the O2 on 19 August". A reunion has been talked about, and nearly happened, several times before. What has clicked this time? Matt: The genuine fact is that me and my brother have both carved out successful careers of our own. And now we're able to look each other square in the eye and just go, "I think the time is now". Who floated the idea first? Luke: Matt and I were talking about just jamming together one day and I said, well, you know, by default if we play together we would be Bros. And then we had this moment of just going, "Let's do this!" It wasn't a considered thing. It was a genuine, unanimous energy between us. Matt: We were in a music shop a couple of years ago, and we were in this vacuum-sealed drum room and we had a little jam. We just gave each other a look and we knew at that moment that it was coming closer. What was the song you jammed? Luke: It was just a groove. He was doing a riff and I was doing a beat and it just felt right. In the show, we're actually going to do a moment where it's just the two of us playing. I guess it'll be acoustic - where the only two people creating music will be the two of us. It's nice in a venue that size to have a lovely, informal, relaxed connection with our audience. We've never done that before. The date of the show is significant. Tell me about that. Matt: That's the same day we did Bros In 2 Summer at Wembley Stadium in 1989, when 77,000 people turned up. It also happens to fall on a Saturday, which is fortuitous. We were just like, "This is meant to be". Luke: And it's definitely going to be a 2017-worthy show. A stand-alone, contemporary show. Matt: We wouldn't be doing this if we didn't think we could better our best show, which was Wembley Stadium. I've played some of the greatest venues in the world over the last 30 years, but the thought of getting on stage with my brother and making music again is just magical. What are your memories of walking on stage at Wembley Stadium? Matt: I remember the moment. We gave each other a hug and you could feel there was 77,000 people out there. You could actually feel the energy. We got catapulted through the stage - so we had to get harnessed in, and the weights were prepared, and there was a ton of security… Luke: I remember we were six inches below the stage, and I knew that that just above my head was a stadium full of people just waiting to see us. I have to be honest, I just couldn't believe it. My heart was pounding. The support acts were Salt 'n' Pepa and Debbie Gibson. Will you be inviting any of them to the O2? Matt: Haha, no! We are going to have somebody special... There'll be special people all around this show. But these are things we have yet to [decide] over a fair few beers and scotches and dinners. This is the fun part for us. Luke: We are driven by the idea that, if people are going to wait 27 years, they deserve a phenomenal show. When the band broke up in 1992 and you got into financial difficulties, it was reported with what felt like a sense of glee in the British press. Was that why you left England? Luke: I'm going to be honest, I was deeply hurt by it. I understand that when people are going through tough times it's hard to see a couple of kids making a lot of money. But since then I've come back, as has Matt, and we've been greeted beautifully. And today was a prime example of that. Matt: Back in those days, in hindsight, there was a recession and straight after us, a lot of people went through their own recession. It quickly became relevant that what we were going through publicly, they were going through themselves. But it's testament to our upbringing - we dusted ourselves off and we've become successful again. Luke: We're working class boys and there's an ethic there. If you're going to dig a hole, go out and dig it right. You said you have no plans to release new music - but once you've rehearsed this show, and you've been in a room jamming, there must be part of your brain that will go, "Maybe there's enough here for a fourth Bros album". Luke: Who knows? It's genuinely not something we've discussed. Matt: It's a really good perspective, what you're saying. I have a feeling that when me and my nutjob of a brother get next to each other and we start making music, we might come up with something pretty special. But that's not our focus. I'm not leaving the music industry as a [solo] singer, doing my own music. Luke: I'm not leaving film either. I've just directed my first feature film... but this is a real treat for us. You've got kids now. What do they make of all of this? Luke: I've got a step-daughter, Carly, who I'm deeply proud of. I've raised her since she was four. She's proud of both of us. She's going to be part of the gang, too. Matt: I'm actually a bit perplexed that you've just told me I've got children. Is there something I should know? Luke: Well, we thought this was the best way to tell you. Matt: I would actually like to have children. And who knows, I might actually manage to have a child before the show. That would be great. You don't have long to make that happen if you want the baby to arrive before the concert. Matt: For anyone listening, I have 10 days to make this happen, to create a baby. Thank you, BBC, for scaring the life out of me! Follow us on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, on Instagram at bbcnewsents, or if you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.