‘Life’s short as it is!’ Marti Pellow gives former Wet Wet Wet bandmates his blessing after they replace him with Liberty X star Kevin Simm… but admits they ‘don’t really talk’
Marti Pellow has given his blessing to former band Wet Wet Wet after the Scottish pop group replaced him with a new lead singer.
Pellow, 56, left the band to embark on a solo career in 2017, with The Voice winner Kevin Simm – best known for his work with Liberty X – filling his shoes the following year.
And the singer admits he wishes the group all the best as they follow a route previously taken by Spandau Ballet and Queen, who have both replaced pivotal band-members with notably mixed results.
All the best: Marti Pellow has given his blessing to former band Wet Wet Wet after the Scottish pop group replaced him with a new lead singer
He told The Mirror: ‘It is what it is, I think it’s a different vibe and it’s going to be a different dynamic. The vibes are going to be different…and if people enjoy it then fair play to them, they might not see any different.
‘The work I did with them I’ll always cherish… despite the messy ending.’
The band enjoyed enormous success throughout the 1980s and ’90s, with hit single Love Is All Around – a cover version of The Troggs’ 1967 original – spending 15 consecutive weeks as UK number one in 1994.
Old times: Pellow, 56, enjoyed enormous success with Wet Wet Wet throughout the 1980s and ’90s before leaving the band to embark on a solo career in 2017
New line up: The singer has since been replaced with former Liberty X star Kevin Simm (pictured with the band second from right)
They eventually disbanded after touring for their 1997 album 10 amid disagreements over royalty payments, while Pellow sought rehabilitation to overcome substance and alcohol abuse issues.
They would reform in 2004 with a greatest hits album, followed by sixth studio album Timeless three years later, before Pellow quit the band for good in 2017.
But despite their long history, the singer admits he has limited contact with former band-mates Graeme Clark, Neil Mitchell and Tommy Cunningham.
Old times: (L-R) Wet Wet Wet bandmates Tom Cunningham, Marti Pellow, Neil Mitchell and Graeme Clark in 1987)
Busy man: With lockdown restrictions gradually easing, Pellow is one of the first artists to announce tour dates as he looks ahead to performing in front of a live audience
He said: ‘We don’t really talk to each other that much, I guess that’s quite sad, but, you know, hey ho. Life’s short as it is. We weren’t marching to the same drum.’
With lockdown restrictions gradually easing, Pellow is one of the first artists to announce tour dates as he looks ahead to performing in front of a live audience.
His Stargazer tour is scheduled to launch on November 17th, with tickets on sale from May 14th.