With Take That growing middle-aged gracefully and nostalgia for Nineties music still holding strong, now seems as good a time as any for a Let Loose reunion. The pop trio first hit big in the mid-Nineties with hits including Crazy For You, Best in Me and Make It With You. Original frontman Richie has retired from the music industry but drummer Lee Murray and guitarist Rob Jeffrey have recruited former Bad Boys Inc singer Matthew Pateman to the band. The new line-up has already recorded and released a new single, If The World Was Ending, and there are sold out London dates in the diary for 2024.
Entertainment Now caught up with Lee, Rob and Matthew to find out what’s new – and old.
What’s the story behind the reunion?
Lee: “It grew quite organically without us trying too hard. We found out fairly swiftly that Richie didn’t want to get involved, so we thought ‘shall we try and find another singer?’ I thought of Matt immediately, he’s got a great voice and is a great songwriter so we thought we’d dip our toe in the water.
Rob: “It was completely off the cuff. There was no audition, just a phone conversation and Matt said he would go for it and that was it. We got national press immediately, and recorded a single within a week.
Matthew: “Richie didn’t want to be involved anymore so that would have been the death of the band; instead, it’s like a new chapter. It’s really exciting and positive.
What are your memories of each other’s bands?
Lee: “We battled away amongst boy bands. I remember seeing each other at different gigs and we’d be lugging our instruments onstage and the other guys – there’s nothing wrong with this – would come on and do their routine, so we always felt a little bit out of kilter with what was going on.
Matt: “I remember when Crazy For You came out, we thought ‘why don’t we have a song like that?’ It wasn’t rivalry, it was just jealousy!
Lee: “We never had the six-packs.
Rob: “More like a four pack…
How have the fans responded to the reunion?
Rob: “When we did our first gig a few weeks ago, there were people of all ages singing every word to Crazy For You, Seventeen, Best In Me, because you can’t beat a good pop song. It’s a dying art.
Matt: “I was the most scared because I’m replacing someone who was an amazing pop star but 99.9% of the feedback was ‘amazing to have you on board, what a great idea’. We didn’t have social media back in the day so the fans would have told you to your face ‘I don’t like your jacket on Top of the Pops’. It’s all very different now, it’s all very instant.”
How has the music industry changed since the Nineties?
Matt: “The technology’s so different now. We used to have to spend thousands of pounds to record one song. You’d have to go to a big studio and only have a few hours because it was so expensive, whereas nowadays we wrote the first song via WhatsApp and emails.
“People are more in control of stuff now. It’s easier to have a social media platform where people can exploit their talents and be seen by record companies whereas before it was really old school. You’d put an advert in The Stage and go for an audition and overnight you were in a boy band. I don’t think that really exists anymore. Yes, there is pure pop out there but that tends to be more in the dance market.”
Who are your favourite Nineties pop stars?
Matt: “I was a massive George Michael fan and he was still doing great stuff in the Nineties. He’s my biggest inspiration.
Rob: “I’m going to be controversial – I wasn’t a big fan of a lot of the Nineties bands just because a lot of it was guys manipulated by their record companies and I wasn’t a big fan of that. I’m old school.
Lee: “I love a good pop song and there were some really good pop songs. There’s a couple of Take That songs that you can’t deny – Back For Good, that was a massive record. But although I love a pop song, I’m not a massive fan of that kind of genre. We did a gig with Gary Numan – he’s my hero. So that just shows you the differing tastes. Matt loves George Michael, Rob likes heavy rock and I like Gary Numan, so it’s a weird melting pot.”
What are your plans for 2024?
Lee: “We’re focussing on rehearsing like crazy for our gigs at the end of January and forwards into ’24 with all the things that are scheduled, so it’s busy and exciting.”
