East 17
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East 17 (also known as E17) were an English pop boy band, from the '90s. The band name came from the postcode for Walthamstow, which is in the area of London, between the old East End, and the Essex commuter belt. They charted 18 top 20 singles and four top 10 albums.
Contents |
[edit] Band Members
[edit] Former Band Members
- Tony Mortimer (1992 - 1997 & 2006 Reunion)
[edit] Biography
The band began in 1992 after Tony Mortimer was given the promise of a record deal, when he showcased his own material. It was under the condition of forming a group, as this was the format London Records were pushing.
The original roles in the band soon altered when Brian Harvey, who was intended as a backup singer and dancer, was heard singing along during a recording session, and duly promoted to lead vocalist.
The vast majority of the songs were written by Mortimer, and often contained rap verses vocalised by him, to complement Harvey's more fluidic R&B style vocals.
The band were commonly perceived as a straightforward pop group due to the marketing hype by London Records, but their lyrics and non-single tracks proved otherwise. For example, the Ivor Novello award winning song - "Stay Another Day" - was thought to be a simple love song, but was in fact a response from Mortimer to his elder brother, who had committed suicide. Other titles were written about life after death and one track even incorporated a part of the Book of Revelation into a futuristic rap song. In retrospect, East 17 could be perceived as an 'alternative' boy band.
Seen as a harsher, and more hip-hop oriented alternative to rival boy band Take That, they scored twelve Top 10 hits in the UK singles chart, between 1992 and 1998. Their debut album Walthamstow, again named after the area of northeast London where they were based, shot to number one in the UK album chart. It featured a strong string of Top 20 singles, the key songs being "House of Love", and "Deep".
In 1994 upon the release of their second album Steam, they scored their only UK number one single, the 1994 Christmas chart topper "Stay Another Day", which remained at the top for five weeks. In 1996 they hit number two in a duet with Gabrielle, "If You Ever".
Following the somewhat low key release of the album Up All Night, the drop in appeal, in comparison to previous albums, was attributed to the fact that Mortimer stepped down as the only songwriter. It allowed songwriting duties to be split between the four members of East 17, although all of the singles released from the album were the tracks Mortimer had penned.
In 1997, Harvey was engulfed in a drug controversy, when he claimed he took twelve Ecstasy pills in one night, stating "it's cool to take drugs". This went against their 'boy band' image. He also claimed that ecstasy "can make you a better person". There was a huge media uproar, with questions being asked in the House of Commons, and the career of the band was tarnished. Harvey was sacked as a result of this, but then Mortimer decided to leave as well.
However, Harvey, Coldwell and Hendy all attempted a comeback in 1998 under the name of E-17, and got off to a good start with 'Each Time', which reached number two in the UK. But, being without Mortimer's songwriting influence, the band struggled, and after rather disappointing sales of the following single "Betcha Can't Wait", and its album Resurrection, the band eventually decided to call it quits in 1999.
[edit] 2000s
After launching himself as solo artist with help from Wyclef Jean, Harvey went back to East 17 playing numerous gigs on the nostagia circuit with Coldwell and Hendy. On the ITV1 docusoap Redcoats, East 17 were shown performing at a gig that was held at Butlins in Bognor on a programme that also featured Keith Harris.
Meanwhile Mortimer attempted to create two bands, but each time opted to return to production work for other artists from his Essex studio, as well as recording his own solo material, which was released in January, 2006 on his official website
On 4 February 2006, Brian Harvey appeared on the UK television music show CD:UK, where he announced that East 17 may soon be making a comeback as the original four-piece.
In mid-February 2006, East 17 reformed. The band played its first concert since reformation on 30 May 2006 at the Shepherd's Bush Empire in London.
After reforming for the one-off gig it was reported that East 17, had split up again, as John was unable to fully commit to the band as his Roofing business took a lot of his time. Also, friction flared up again between Brian and Tony, resulting in Tony departing and the rest of the boys performing as a three-piece at various club events.
Performing as a three-piece without Tony Mortimer, E17 played at Strathclyde University in Scotland on the 24 September 2006, after D.J Colin Murray was unable to attend. This event signalled the end of Freshers Week at the university, as they drank with students within the union.
Tony Mortimer appeared BBC TVs, "Never Mind The Buzzcocks" on 9 October.
East 17 appeared in Sibiu, Romania on New Year's Eve as well as at the Landmarc in Bournemouth on 22 February 2007 ([1]www.thelandmarc.com)
East 17 also appeared at the University of Essex on Valentines day as the main act ([2] www.essexstudent.com) and at the Creation in Brighton on 21 February
[edit] East 17:The Reunion
In March 2007, Channel 4 is to show the documentary East 17:The Reunion, whilst The Independent newspaper reports that the trio of Harvey, Coldwell and Hendy are currently working on new material for a forthcoming album project.
[edit] Albums
- (1993) Walthamstow #1 UK
- (1994) Steam #3 UK
- (1995) Up All Night #7 UK
- (1996) Around The World Hit Singles: The Journey So Far #3 UK
- (1998) Resurrection (as E-17) #43 UK
- (2005) The Very Best of East Seventeen #34 UK
- (2006) East 17 - The Platinum Collection
[edit] Singles
[edit] Walthamstow (1993)
- (1992) "House of Love" #10 UK
- (1992) "Gold" #28 UK
- (1993) "Deep" #5 UK (#123 on the American Billboard charts, their only charted U.S. single)
- (1993) "Slow It Down" #13 UK
- (1993) "West End Girls" #11 UK
- (1993) "It's Alright" #3 UK, #1 Latvia (1 week), #1 Australia (7 weeks)
[edit] Steam (1994)
- (1994) "Around The World" #3 UK, #10 Latvia
- (1994) "Steam" #7 UK
- (1994) "Stay Another Day" #1 UK, #1 Latvia (7 weeks)
- (1995) "Let It Rain" #10 UK, #5 Latvia
- (1995) "Hold My Body Tight" #12 UK, #9 Latvia
[edit] Up All Night (1995)
- (1995) "Thunder" #4 UK, #2 Latvia
- (1996) "Do U Still?" #7 UK, #6 Latvia
- (1996) "Someone to Love" #16 UK, #10 Latvia
[edit] Around The World (The Journey So Far) (1996)
- (1996) "If You Ever" (featuring Gabrielle) #2 UK, #4 Latvia
- (1997) "Hey Child" #3 UK
[edit] Resurrection (As E-17) (1998)
- (1998) "Each Time" #2 UK
- (1999) "Betcha Can't Wait" #12 UK
[edit] Miscellany
- The band logo features a cartoon "Bob Dog" based on Levy, a Staffordshire Bull Terrier. Levy was the band's official mascot and she was frequently referred to as the "fifth official member of East 17".
- During the peak of their popularity, the band were receiving £500 wages a week.[1]
- The band's name is referenced in the U2 song 'Miss Sarajevo': "Is there a time for East 17."
[edit] References
- ^ Smash Hits Magazine 15-28 March 1995.
| Preceded by Mr Blobby Mr Blobby |
UK Christmas Number One single | Succeeded by Michael Jackson Earth Song |
