Bros are back after 30 years
“You’re the first person in Ireland I’ve spoken to, and I’ve really been looking forward to it,” Matt Goss tells me, his low British tones belying an almost youthful excitement.
Speaking over the phone from Las Vegas, where he performs a long-term residency, one half of ‘80s duo Bros is taking a break from rehearsals for the group’s first Irish shows in over 30 years.
The ‘When Will I Be Famous’ band’s gigs at Live at the Marquee next Wednesday and Belfast’s Botanic Gardens on 27 June are their first on Irish soil since 1988, when they played the then-newly opened Point Depot in Dublin. The gigs are also the latest in a remarkable sequence of events for a band whose leading members, Matt and his twin brother Luke Goss, rarely spoke in the years following Bros’ breakup in 1992.
It was only last year’s unexpected hit documentary ‘Bros: When the Screaming Stops’, which chronicled the pair’s attempts to repair their relationship as they readied their 2017 comeback shows at London’s O2 Arena, that set the groundwork for a more stable reunion.
“In the movie you could see the discord, but this time it’s been really good. I think we’ve learned a lot from the O2 shows,” Matt says.
“It taught us that we have to communicate quicker and with more consideration of each other. I’m seeing people watching it on the plane coming back to the States, and it’s quite incredible to see them watching something that is actually your life.
“We went through therapy on camera, and it was quite disconcerting at times.”
Indeed, ‘After the Screaming Stops’ doesn’t shy away from the more fractious moments on the brothers’ road to reconciliation. One particularly painful clip shows a clearly uncomfortable interview on ITV’s ‘This Morning’ which took place just minutes after an angry backstage argument.
As Matt explains, the division created between him and Luke stemmed from personal issues and the loss of family members, and the issues which went untreated as a result.
“We had a very strong family, you know. My sister Carolyn, my mother, my grandfather, they have all died. These were all cornerstone people in mine and my brother’s life.
“I think he and I went into survival mode as people. And although we were doing great things, there were so many issues we hadn’t addressed. When you do great things, whether it be Bros or what myself or Luke do in our own lives, sometimes you need to physically pick up the phone to the people who are important to you, but they’re gone. You can feel very isolated.
“In the movie, we went through all of that truth and processing on camera. My brother and I are notoriously private people, so it’s strange that we even did the film, but it was very cathartic and exposed a lot of the issues in our relationship.”
The documentary became instantly popular on social media for some of its almost ‘Spinal Tap’-esque quotes, but Matt says they don’t fully represent the documentary.
“You have to remember that we were asked questions for five and a half hours after the movie. It wears you down, and that was the point.
“I feel very proud that we gave away all editing rights to the film. My brother and I were adamant we didn’t want it to be a promo piece, showing ‘oh look how fantastic our lives are’, because that’s not the music industry. You have to fight and stand up for what you want. It can get very tough at times, and it can rip you to shreds.”
Bros released three albums at the height of their stadium-packing stardom, but it’s the success of ‘When the Screaming Stops’ that has brought their name into the reckoning Stateside.
Speaking of their return to Ireland, Matt says it’s a place where he has had “some of my greatest memories”. “I remember once spending a long weekend at The Edge’s house. We went water-skiing, and got pelted with rain. I think I was wearing Larry Mullen’s wetsuit. I remember some young fans came up to me while we were having a pint in this pub, and the Edge said ‘leave him alone’. It was a great moment. We went out to a club that night and it was the most unlikely duo you could imagine.”
He remembers spending Christmas in Ireland on many occasions in the band’s earlier days.
“We’d have all our family there, drink probably far too much and go to the Dockers pub in Dublin. It was always so full of this humility the Irish have, that way of making you feel like you’re at home, to the point where you don’t want to leave again.
“I can’t wait to go back, have a proper pint of Guinness and just be around good, soulful people. That’s one thing you can say about Ireland, and I can’t wait to feel that soulful energy –I feel like I need it.”
He says he also wants to dig deeper into his Irish heritage. “My grandfather’s mum and dad were from Cork, I believe, and he was the most influential man in my life. When you lose so much, you want to find out what your roots and history are. I’ve asked some of the people around me to help me find out more about it.”
Bros play Live at the Marquee on Wednesday 26 June.