Bros (Band)

by Mark Nobes, chief editor

As with a certain yeast extract paste, Bros were a band you either loved or hated, and the British teen pop boy band were, undoubtedly, more popular with teenage girls. 

For a short while in the late 80s and early 90s, Bros answered the question posed in their first hit single "When Will I Be Famous?", and achieved success with eleven Top 40 hit singles in their home country and also in many European countries, too. 

Originally, the boy band consisted of three members; brothers Matt Goss (vocals) and Luke Goss (drummer) and Craig Logan (bass player) who left the band in the early part of 1989. 

During their time together, the group has released three studio albums and enjoyed eleven UK top 40 singles between 1987 and 1991, including the number one "I Owe You Nothing".

Push (1988)

Released in March 1988, Push was the debut album by Bros and, by far, their most successful, achieving 4x Platinum in the UK and including five hit singles. The 10 track album was also a global success.
All of the tracks were composed by Nicky Graham at his home in London, and then completed at his Fulham studio called Hot Nights, playing all of the instruments himself. According to some sources, the only input from the band was from Matt Goss on vocals. Whether Luke Goss played any drums or Craig Logan played bass is open to question.
Bros - I Owe You Nothing (1988) - the band's only No.1 single
The lead single from the album "I Owe You Nothing" reached only No.80 in the UK on its initial release. However, it was the release of "When Will I Be Famous?" that put Bros on the map, and it perfectly encapsulates the 80s. The song reached No.2 in the UK and was a huge hit across Europe.
"Drop The Boy" was released as the third single, also reaching No.2, and this was followed by a remixed re-release of "I Owe You Nothing", which topped the British singles chart for two weeks during June 1988.
Bros - Push - the boy band's debut album (1988)

The Time (1989)

Released on 16th October 1989, the second album The Time reached No.4 in the UK album charts, but sales were disappointing compared to the Push, achieving a Gold sales certificate. Nonetheless, this was hardly a flop, and the album spawned another four hit singles, three of which made the UK top ten. Lead single "Too Much" reached No.2 in the UK.
Bros - Too Much (1989) 7

"Too Much" 7" vinyl sleeve

Unlike the debut album, Craig Logan had no input on the album, as he had already left the band earlier in the year. Also, brothers Matt and Luke were co-writers alongside Nicky Graham on all 10 tracks (11 tracks on the original CD version). A CD reissue in 2010 featured another 6 bonus tracks.
Bros - The Time (1989) - the second album

The Time album front sleeve

Changing Faces (1991)

Released on 30th Sept 1991, sales of the duo's third album were very disappointing, with the album only reaching No.18 in the UK, and not even achieving a silver certificate. Lead single "Are You Mine" was moderately successful, reachign No.12, but the follow-up single "Try" stalled at No.27. 

After the poor sales, Luke looked at his brother and stated "I'm done, it's not fun anymore". The duo split in 1992. 

Matt goss started a solo career during the 90s, and his brother Luke moved to the US and became a movie actor. Craig is currently working in music management and songwriting.

Discography

Singles released from the album Push (1988) reached #2

1987  I owe You Nothing  #80
1987  When Will I Be Famous  #2
1988  Drop The Boy #2
1988  I Owe You Nothing (re-release) #1

1988  I Quit  #4
1988  Cat Among The Pigeons/Silent Night  #2

Singles from The Time (1989) reached #4

1989  Too Much  #2
1989  Chocolate Box  #9
1989  Sister  #10
1990  Madly In Love #14

Singles from Changing Faces (1991) reached #18

1990  Are You Mine  #12
1990  Try  #27

Chart positions shown are the highest achieved in the UK

Bros - When Will I Be Famous (1987) vinyl sleeve
The 12" maxi single included The Contender Dub Mix and a track entitled Love To Hate You which was the B-side of the 7 inch vinyl.
Bros -
UK limited edition 2-track picture disc for the trio's second single Drop The Boy which reached #2.

2017 reunion

On 19th August 2017, Matt and Luke Goss reunited and played a 30th anniversary Bros concert at the 02 arena in London. A planned tour was cancelled. They also released a one-off single "Love Can Make You Fly", although it failed to chart.
On 5th July 2019, the duo played another concert at London's O2 Brixton Academy.
Bros on the cover of Look-In magazine in November 1988
Look-In magazine (Nov 1988) ft. Bros