East 17 (later re-grouped as E-17) are an English pop boy band founded in 1992.
The group name came from the postcode for Walthamstow, an area of London between the old East End and the Essex commuter belt. They achieved 18 Top 20 singles and four Top 10 albums, and were one of the famous acts along with Take That in the UK and some parts of the world during the early to mid 1990s. They occasionally blended rap and pop in songs such as "House of Love", "Steam" and "Let It Rain", attaining fame as a result of the main songwriter Tony Mortimer and lead vocalist Brian Harvey.
Biography
Formation
The band began in 1992 when Mortimer was promised a record deal after he showcased his own material. The deal was granted under the condition that he form a group, which was the format London Records were looking for. The original roles in the band were soon altered when Brian Harvey, who was intended to be a back-up singer and dancer, was heard singing along during a recording session. He was duly promoted to lead vocalist. The group's other members are Terence Coldwell and Jonathan Hendy.
Peak of success
Mortimer wrote the vast majority of the group's songs, which often contained rap verses vocalized by him to complement Harvey's more fluid R&B style vocals. The group was usually seen as a grittier, more political and hip-hop or rap-aligned group than rival boy band Take That, as noted by Guy Adams of The Independent;[1]
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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 R&B, and sold by the bucketload: 20 million records across Europe, compared with Take That's paltry 19 million. |
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East 17 scored 12 Top 10 hits on the UK Singles Chart between 1992 and 1998.[2] Their debut album, Walthamstow, shot to #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 #1 in early 1994 for 7 weeks in a row and #3 in the UK in 1993. The lyrics to some of their songs, such as "Let It Rain", had political undertones, talking about war, peace, equality, love, and other political issues. Their popularity reached Mongolia, particularly with the song "It's Alright", helped by music television channels, Channel V and MTV.
In 1994, upon the release of their second album, Steam, they scored their only UK number-one single with "Stay Another Day", which remained at the top for five weeks and was also that year's Christmas number-one. Following the somewhat low-key release of the next album, Up All Night, their drop in appeal became apparent compared to previous albums. The album's songwriting duties were split among the four members of the group, rather than Mortimer alone, although all of the singles released from the album were penned by him.
East 17 also appeared on the Childliners record The Gift Of Christmas, alongside acts such as MN8, Boyzone, E.Y.C., Sean Maguire, Deuce, Ultimate Kaos, Let Loose, Backstreet Boys, Peter Andre, Michelle Gayle and Dannii Minogue amongst others. In 1996, the group hit #2 with the track "If You Ever", a duet with the singer Gabrielle.
Decline
In 1997, Harvey was engulfed in a drug-related controversy when he claimed that he took 12 Ecstasy pills in one night, stating that "(i)t's cool to take drugs"[citation needed] and claiming that Ecstasy "can make you a better person"[citation needed]. The act went against the group's "boy band" image, and there was a huge media uproar, leading to questions being raised by John Major in the House of Commons.[1] With the group's career and reputation tarnished by the affair, Harvey was sacked and Mortimer decided to leave several months later, due to creative differences between himself and the rest of the group. The band's split in 1997 has been described as "one of the greatest break-ups in pop history".[1]
Coldwell and Hendy later reinstated Harvey and attempted a comeback in 1998 renaming the group "E-17" and landed a record deal with Telstar Records after recording an album's worth of self-written material in their home studios. Their first single was "Each Time," which reached #2 in the UK. But without Mortimer's songwriting influence, the group's initial success soon wavered, and after disappointing sales of the next single "Betcha Can't Wait" reaching just number 12 in the charts, and their album Resurrection failing to make the UK top 40 and not selling as much as the record company would have liked, the band were dropped by their label in 1999 and subsequently split up.
2000s
East 17 performance in Sibiu, Romania, 2007 New Year's Eve
In 2001, Harvey launched himself as a solo artist in a collaboration with Wyclef Jean on the Top 20 single "Loving You (Ole Ole Ole)", but returned to East 17 to perform numerous gigs on the nostalgia circuit with Coldwell and Hendy. On the ITV1 docusoap Redcoats, the group were shown performing at a gig that was held at Butlins in Bognor on a bill which also featured Keith Harris, whilst in 2005, Harvey, Coldwell and Hendy performed a gig as E-17 in Mongolia.
Mortimer attempted to create two bands of his own, but each time opted to return to production work for other artists from his Essex-based studio. He also recorded his own solo material, released in January 2006 on his now defunct, official website.
Brian Harvey made the news in May 2005 when he accidentally ran himself over, and required surgical treatment.[3] He suffered severe, life-threatening injuries as a result, falling into a coma for several weeks following the incident.[3]
On February 4, 2006, Harvey appeared on the UK television music show CD:UK, where he announced that East 17 might make a comeback with the original four members. In mid-February 2006, the group reformed. They played their first concert since reformation on May 30 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, since Hendy was unable to fully commit to the band because his roofing business took up a lot of his time. Friction also flared up again between Harvey and Mortimer, who were "involved in a punch-up",[1] resulting in the latter's departure, with the remaining members continuing to perform as a three-piece at various club events.[1] 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.[1]
East 17 continue to perform as a three-member group without Mortimer. They played at the University of Strathclyde on September 24, 2006, after DJ Colin Murray was unable to attend. Since then, the group has performed in clubs around the UK. A new single, "Fuck That" was due to be released in early 2008 but was ultimately cancelled. Here is the 2008 single, East 17 - Fuck That. [1]
The group performed at the 2009 Glastonbury Festival on Thursday, 25th June in the dance hall.
In November of 2009 all the members of the band re-united again for the 'Wild and Free' charity organisation at the Royal Albert Hall in front of 5,000 people playing two of their best known songs "Deep" and "Stay Another Day".
Discography
Miscellany
- Were originally going to call themselves "E-17", but opted for East 17 after the bad press Ecstasy was getting at the time. Ironically, when they reformed as a threesome without Tony Mortimer, they called themselves "E-17"
- The band logo features a cartoon "Bob The 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.[4]
- The band's name is referenced in the U2 song 'Miss Sarajevo': "Is there a time for East 17?".
References
External links
