East 17 pay return visit to MonroeÕs Live

East 17 return to Monroe’s Live on Thursday next, December 6, following a sold-out show there last year. It’s been over 20 years since the four-strong group stumbled into the limelight in late 1991, when they had little idea that their rabble-rousing brand of boy-band pop would create such a storm.

Indeed, at the outset, a young Tony Mortimer, who became their lead singer, had been on the verge of signing a solo deal with London Records until ex-Pet Shop Boys manager Tom Watkins suggested that what the world needed was a boy-band antidote to Take That.

Their debut single, House of Love, released in 1992, sold 600,000 copies and a debut album, Walthamstow – named after their home place – that hit the Number One spot the following year. The band went on to achieve 18 Top Twenty hits, including Deep, Steam, Let It Rain, It’s Alright, Baby’s Coming Back and the Christmas Number One, Stay Another Day, which remained top of the charts for five weeks. That’s was in addition to four Top Ten albums and sales of over 20 million records.

When East 17 finally split in 1997 it was heralded as one of the greatest break-ups in pop history. Since then, they have reunited and split again, most recently as a three-piece consisting of original members Tony Mortimer, John Hendy and Terry Coldwell and without Brian Harvey, who caused controversy back in 1997 with his revelations of taking ecstasy. Their most recent album, Dark Light was released in April of this year.

l Doors for the East 17 show next Thursday night at Monroe’s Live are at 9pm and tickets are €25/€22.50 from Monroes.ie