Bros legend Matt Goss is preparing his big return to Manchester for a fan meet and greet for the first time in seven years - and he can't wait. The now-solo star will be back at music store HMV in the city, where adoring crowds of thousands famously greeted him back in Bros' 1980s heyday.
And heading back to Manchester is always a treat for Matt, who will be signing copies of his new solo album The Beautiful Unknown from 2pm on Tuesday, March 29 at HMV in the Manchester Arndale Centre. He recently finished his long-run of gigs in Las Vegas while he prepares his next moves in showbiz - including filming an exciting new movie role.
Matt tells the MEN: "I'm really excited to get back to Manchester. I've always had the best time there, you have the best curry, and the best people."
Read more :
And for anyone wondering what his favourite curry might be ? "I like a balti, I like okra, chicken makhani and garlic naan." Nice.
Lockdown restrictions have been tough for Matt halting many planned live performances, so he's excited to finally be able to get back out and meet his fans. He said: "It's nice that it's still starting to get going again. Our industry was destroyed, flattened by lockdown.
"By definition we need crowds, yet we weren't able to play for a couple of years, so it's a beautiful feeling to rehearse with other musicians. And the new album has been so well received, it's super contemporary.
"There's new fans, there's old fans, it's exciting to me when I see familiar faces when I head out to these events. People could not be nicer to me, I feel incredibly lucky, I feel very loved and supported in this country, I've gone through a lot of loss, but it's one big extended family and it's a great comfort to me."
Matt has also been busy honing a new skill - for directing his own music videos. For new song Better With You it involved incredible BMX stunts.
Next up for Matt is his new movie role, although he can't confirm all the details just yet. Matt's twin brother Luke has won a number of high profile roles in movies over the years, but this will be Matt's first foray. He said: "I'm playing the lead in a new thriller, in a movie, I play a pretty nasty man. It's going to be based in London, it's a real dark psychological thriller.
"It's an exciting thing for me I've wanted to dabble into that for some years, acting for me is another part of expression."
But, of course, Bros fans will be keen to hear what plans there are for Matt and Luke to reunite in some way. Their documentary After the Screaming Stops won them a whole new range of fans in 2018 - and Matt says Luke is keen to do a follow-up.
Matt says: "Luke is busy doing his stuff, we write very different kinds of music, and the next journey will be creating an album together. He wants to put a documentary together - we love each other but we do push each other's buttons."
During the Bros years, the band became known for their signature look of ripped denims, biker jackets, white shirts and DMs - with fans famously putting the Grolsch bottle tops on top. And Matt dipped into his archive to bring an original jacket back for his new music video.
Matt is proud of the lasting impact the band's "look" had in the history of pop music. He said: "The amount of fashion books out there that we're included in, it's a beautiful thing. We created a global uniform."
Tickets to meet Matt at his in-store signings including at HMV Manchester on March 29, can be purchased here
Get the latest What's On news - from food and drink to music and nightlife - straight to your inbox with our daily newsletter.
