East 17 are an English popboy band started by Tony Mortimer, Brian Harvey, John Hendy, and Terry Coldwell in 1991. As of 2020, the group consists of Coldwell, Robbie Craig and Joe Livermore. East 17 have undergone multiple lineup changes, with Coldwell remaining the only constant member.
The group has released 18 top-20 singles and four top-10 albums and was one of the UK's most popular boy bands during the early- to mid-1990s, aided by strong tabloid interest in their 'bad boy' image, compared to the clean-cut style of rivals Take That. Their style blended pop and hip hop in songs such as "House of Love" and "Let It Rain".
East 17 has sold over 18 million albums worldwide and according to the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), the group has been certified with sales of 1.8 million albums and 2.6 million singles in the UK.[1] Their biggest hit, "Stay Another Day", was the UK Christmas number one in 1994.
The group continues today under the lineup of Terry Coldwell, Joe Livermore, and former Artful Dodger collaborator Robbie Craig.[2]
History
Formation (1991)
East 17 began in 1991 when Tony Mortimer was promised a record deal with London Records after he presented his own material. The deal was granted under the condition that he form a group, which would be in the format that London Records were looking for. Mortimer recruited Brian Harvey, John Hendy, and Terry Coldwell.[citation needed]
The group was usually seen as a grittier, more political and hip hop or rap-aligned ensemble than rival boy band Take That, as noted by Guy Adams of The Independent:[4]
They shaved their heads, and had tattoos, and were a lot, lot cooler than the nancy boys of Take That. In the great five-year battle that dominated British pop, East 17 were also on the winning side. Their music was sharper and more streetwise. It was infused with hip hop and sold by the bucketload: 18 million records across Europe, compared with Take That's paltry 17 million.
— Guy Adams
East 17 had twelve top-10 hits on the UK Singles Chart between 1992 and 1998.[5] Their debut album, Walthamstow, reached No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart. It featured a string of Top 20 singles, including "House of Love" and "Deep". "It's Alright" became a major success in Australia, reaching No. 1 in early 1994 for seven consecutive weeks.
Steam (1994)
In 1994, upon the release of their second album, Steam, East 17 scored their only UK number-one single with "Stay Another Day".
Up All Night (1995–1996)
The group's next album, 1995's Up All Night, was less successful.
In January 1997, Brian Harvey was engulfed in a drug-related controversy[7] when he claimed that he had taken ecstasy pills on a night out, stating in the press that "It's cool to take drugs" and claiming that ecstasy "can make you a better person".[8]
This went against the group's image, and there was intense media scrutiny, leading to questions being raised in the House of Commons.[9][4] With the group's career and reputation tarnished by the affair, Harvey was immediately sacked and Mortimer decided to leave several months later due to creative differences between himself and the rest of the group.[4]
First reunion and second split (1998–1999)
Coldwell and Hendy later reinstated Harvey and attempted a comeback in 1998, renaming the group E-17.[10] They landed a record deal with Telstar Records after recording an album's worth of self-written material in their home studios. Their first single as E-17 was "Each Time", which reached No. 2 in the UK. But without Mortimer's songwriting influence, the group's initial success soon wavered; sales of their next single, "Betcha Can't Wait", were disappointing, reaching number 12 in the charts, and their album Resurrection failed to make the UK Top 40. The band was later dropped by their label in 1999 and subsequently split up.[citation needed]
Post-split activities (1999–2006)
In 2001, Harvey, now as a solo artist, released a collaboration with Wyclef Jean, with the Top-20 single "Loving You", but later returned to perform numerous gigs with Coldwell and Hendy. On the ITV1docusoapRedcoats, the trio were shown performing at Butlins in Bognor. Whilst in 2005, Harvey, Coldwell, and Hendy performed in Mongolia. In May 2005, Harvey was seriously injured in a car accident, requiring surgery.[11]
Second reunion and Mortimer's second departure (2006–2009)
On 4 February 2006, Harvey appeared on the UK music television show CD:UK, where he announced that East 17 might make a comeback with its original lineup. In mid-February 2006, the group reformed and played their first comeback concert on 30 May at the Shepherd's Bush Empire in London.[5] After reforming for the one-off performance, it was reported that Mortimer had left the group again due to a confrontation with Harvey, leading to an altercation between the two.[4]
A Channel 4 documentary, East 17: The Reunion, which charted the group's rise and fall, along with their subsequent attempt to re-launch, was broadcast in May 2007.[4]
East 17 performing in Sibiu, Romania, on New Year's Eve 2007.
East 17 continued to perform without Mortimer as a trio.[4] They played at the University of Strathclyde on 24 September 2006, after DJ Colin Murray was unable to attend. A new single, "Fuck That", was due to be released in early 2008,[12] along with a new album, "Universalization", but both went unreleased.
East 17 performed at the 2009 Glastonbury Festival on 25 June in the dance lounge.[13] In November 2009, the group collaborated with Mortimer in aid of the Born Free Foundation. They performed two of their best-known songs—"Deep" and "Stay Another Day"—for the Wild & Live! event at the Royal Albert Hall.[citation needed] After the performance, the four agreed that it would be best if they never sang together again. However, according to a BBC Radio 2 interview with Zoë Ball in December 2009, songwriter Tony Mortimer mentioned that the band were on "talking terms" and planning a comeback for 2010.
Mortimer's second return, Harvey's departure, Dreelan's arrival and departure, and Dark Light (2010–2013)
Tony Mortimer returned to East 17 in 2010. Brian Harvey left soon after, when his commitment was questioned by the rest of the group; he had been missing rehearsals and cancelling performances. In 2011, T-Mobile used the East 17 song "House of Love" in a Royal Wedding "spoof" commercial. In April 2011, it was announced that Blair Dreelan had joined the band for their Back to the Future tour in August and September 2011 to promote their comeback single, "Secret of My Life". On 28 September 2011, Dreelan left the group due to contractual obligations. On 27 November 2011, East 17 appeared as musical guests on X Factor Romania.[14]
East 17's fifth studio album, Dark Light, along with the new single "I Can't Get You Off My Mind", were released in 2012.
Mortimer's third departure, Craig's arrival, 24/7, and Hendy's departure (2013–present)
Tony Mortimer departed for the third time in 2013. Robbie Craig later joined East 17 in early 2014. John Hendy and Terry Coldwell became the only original members in the group at that stage.[15]
In 2017, East 17 partook in B*Witched's Australia & NZ Tour as a supporting act alongside Atomic Kitten, S Club 3, and Liberty X. During this time, the band released their sixth studio album, 24/7, exclusively in Australia, titling it 24/7: Australian Tour Edition.[16] In June 2018, John Hendy departed the group, citing personal reasons.[17] Since then, Terry John joined the band as Hendy's replacement,[18] performed with them at numerous shows, but eventually also left and was replaced by Joe Livermore.[19]
On 27 August 2021, East 17 released 24/7 internationally.[20]
On 27 May 2022, East 17 released a new single, said to be from an upcoming album, called "I Just Wanna".[21]
On 1 December 2023, the band issued the single "Merry Quitmas".[22] It was released in collaboration with Riot Labs, an anti-smoking charity.[23][24]
Band members
Current
Terry Coldwell (1991–1997, 1998–1999, 2006–2013, 2014–present)
^Barry Legg (16 January 1997). "Prime Minister's Questions". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). United Kingdom: House of Commons. col. 450. What is his reaction to the comments made today by Brian Harvey of East 17, who says that Ecstasy makes people feel better and that he takes up to 12 tablets a day? Nigel Evans (16 January 1997). "Business of the House". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). United Kingdom: House of Commons. col. 463. Brian Harvey and East 17 are idolised by many thousands of youngsters, some as young as 12. All the campaigning that has been done by voluntary bodies and others may now be jeopardised by the fact that Brian Harvey has come up with those stupid remarks. Barry Legg (17 January 1997). "Public Entertainments Licences (Drug Misuse) Bill". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). United Kingdom: House of Commons. col. 526. We heard some dreadful remarks from Mr. Brian Harvey of East 17. [...] However, there was also a promising sign yesterday. I spoke to a 12-year-old schoolgirl in my constituency, who said that she would be taking down the posters of East 17. [...] Incidentally, I was pleased yesterday to note that many radio stations and record companies said that they would ban the music of East 17.
^Inc, Nielsen Business Media (28 October 1995). "Billboard". Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved 27 April 2020 – via Google Books. ((cite web)): |last= has generic name (help)
