From late-80s teen catnip in Bros, in later years Matt Goss has reinvented himself as a showman in Vegas. Now returned to the UK, he’s taking that old razzle-dazzle on tour. Carl Marsh finds Matt to be every bit the wildly ambitious pontificator seen in that infamous Bros reunion documentary…

You’ve had a busy last few years: first, the Bros reunion, then After The Screaming Stops, the Bros documentary which elevated you and brother Luke back into the limelight. And then you did Strictly Come Dancing. And now, after a decade as a resident performer in Vegas, this tour!

Matt Goss: As I said to a family member yesterday, you’ve still got to work hard, put in the hours. If it were really easy, everybody would be doing it. There’s about 16 or 18 shows across the country, with an orchestra and a 15-piece big band… I’m taking out 30-plus musicians [on this tour] and it’s taking around 50 people to make this happen. There’ll be no profit; this is not a profit tour. This is me saying that I’m super aware of where everybody is, and £40 a ticket, I think, is fair.

We may not hit the bullseye on this, but we’re going to hit the target. I’m only doing it because I want to be that maker of memories. I could go out with a five-piece band right now and save myself a lot of hard work – and money – but how can I get that golden experience if I’m not prepared to hold my breath for a second and really put in the hours?

So it’s exciting; it’s nervewracking. But I truly believe that if you want to be in this industry, you’ve got to really hope that God will reward the risk-taker. I feel blessed.

Yeah, I hear you. Of course, you could have done this on a shoestring, but it seems like you’ve pulled out all the fucking stops for this tour! 

Matt: I wish that could be the name of the tour! The Pulled Out All The Fucking Stops Tour. [Laughter]

After about 30 years resident in the United States, you’ve now returned to the UK permanently, giving up that long-term residency in Las Vegas spots like Caesars Palace in the process. What was behind that decision?

Matt: I think that the 10-year mark for me was when I almost found myself hitting a wall. I remember going onstage and seeing everybody having a fantastic time, hands going up – and it was kind of in slow motion, to me. I was thinking about something in the house; nothing to do with the show, nothing to do with what I was doing. I was on autopilot.

I knew that everybody was in a great place and the show was too – but I went home that night and felt such sadness, because I was not connected to what I was doing. After all, I had it under control. And as beautiful as that feels, I wish I could have felt the same as I do right now about this upcoming tour.

I knew that I had to move into a place where I was servicing my own artistic journey – and I knew that I wanted to hit that 10-year milestone. Then, by the 11th, COVID had kicked in, and that was like a self-imposed nature’s way of saying, “right, it’s time to take stock of what you want.” I wanted to have a lovely home and come back to my country. And, obviously, I’m sitting here, with my lovely girl.

Outside of the Bros stuff – and playing the Royal Albert Hall every year and having played big venues – I’m now currently in the middle of trying to build a brand. I can continue to be happy and see people; hopefully, people will come out and see what I do.

Matt Goss tours the UK and Ireland until Sat 22 Apr, including dates at Bristol Hippodrome (Tue 4 Apr) and Swansea Arena (Tue 18 Apr).

Tickets: from £40.72 (Bristol); from £33.24 (Swansea). Info: Bristol / Swansea

words CARL MARSH