Marti Pellow

Love is all around for Marti Pellow, the former singer and frontman of Wet Wet Wet.

The Scottish heartthrob, whose mega hits with Wet Wet Wet included Sweet Little Mystery, Wishing I Was Lucky and With a Little Help From My Friends, has been making his mark again on the airwaves with his latest music.

Not only was his latest single Tattoo My Heart (an unapologetically pop tune) named Radio 2’s song of the week but he also delivered a storming set at the recent Radio 2 in the Park festival, in Chelmsford.

He is also embarking on a headline tour to mark the 30th anniversary of the band’s classic hit, Love is All Around, which featured in the film Four Weddings and A Funeral, and was so successful that it became one of the longest running No 1s of all time.

Music News spoke to Marti about performing at the Radio 2 event, his forthcoming album The Game, due for release at the end of October, and his music career.

What do you like about Radio 2 in the Park?
We’ve got the Stereophonics pumping out as we do this interview! I think this event is wonderful because these events cover such a broad section of ages and demographs, the young, mum, dad and there will be a few grannies out there today, I hope, all having a good time, and that’s what Radio 2 does brilliantly. And this is going to be great for the community too, for the shops, for the buzz in the towns.

You’ve got a brand new album, The Game, coming out next month. What can fans expect?
I wanted to make a pop record again. It’s unapologetically pop. As a matter of fact, a large majority of the lyrics on the album was written by an artist called Tasha Baynes, who is female, and a powerful woman at that. She wrote a lot of the lyrics and it was nice to have that femininity living in the fabric of the album. She’s quite a fiery lady and I like to see that juxtaposition in how she sees the world. I just wanted to make a pop record. I haven’t made a pop record in a long time. The music in my last record was a bit more kind of funk driven or I make the records I made in Memphis, so this is just unapologetically me putting a pop hat on.

You’re doing your Love is All Around Tour, which includes a gig at the London O2 in November, are you looking forward to it?
It’s just me celebrating the body of work that I did with the rest of the guys of Wet Wet Wet, which is a big part of my life. That’s about me going out there, celebrating those songs, some of my new songs, some borrowed songs. What I do isn’t work as such, it’s just about having a good time. The only thing I really ask is to bring your dancing shoes and a smile, I’ve always just said that, and I’ll just pack a suitcase of hit records. I’m a fan of music, I am genuinely interested in people and I go about my life, hearing people say things like “Goodnight Girl, we were married to that” or that songs means this, and that’s wonderful as a songwriter, that’s a good day in the office. I’m a fan of music and I have memories that when I hear certain songs, I feel it too, so it’s important that we celebrate that. This is about escapism. That’s what music is all about. Those three and a half minutes of escapism when real life is unfolding. It’s a powerful thing.

Your classic hit Love is All Around was featured in the movie Four Weddings and a Funeral. It was such a huge song, wasn’t it?
Yes, it was one of the biggest selling songs of all times. With Bryan Adams also on the bill today (who had Everything I Do), you’re gonna get two of the longest songs at Number 1. What an amazing artist Bryan is.

Wet Wet Wet’s Popped In Souled Out album is a true classic. What is your favourite song on there and why?
I think it has to be Angel Eyes. It was my mammy’s favourite, she loved it. She liked it because I had a nice wee suit in the video and she said, oh, you look very bonny, son, so she was made up with that.

You had numerous appearances on Top of the Pops. What are your memories of that iconic programme?
It was one of those shows that as a child you’d watch, and dream about, and have aspirations for, and to see your dreams unfold and be on it, was an incredible time for me in the beginning of my career. I was so excited to be backstage. I remember going and thinking “oh it’s not very big”, I thought it would be a lot bigger. It was great because after you’d done your little sound check and camera check, you could go and they had a little BBC bar, and people would meet other artists. I was a big fan of music so I would go and you’d get your picture taken and meet people.

Was there anyone you were particularly pleased to meet?
Whitney Houston. She was one of the first people I ever met at Top of The Pops. People like Tom Jones, great artists.

Who were your musical influences growing up?
That would be very eclectic for me. It was maybe Bryan Ferry, obviously David Bowie, music like that I enjoyed. My brother’s record collection was older, he was a lot older than me so I would sit and watch The Old Grey Whistle Test with him and I’d get to see a very broad section of artists. That was my schooling, that very eclectic mix that the Old Grey Whistle Test brought to the table. That was an incredible show.

What other projects have you got coming up?
They will be announced next year. I’m always skating about, wanting to do different things and keep growing as an artist. Every day’s a school day, not only in life but in music. I just want to keep doing what I’m doing and still have that love and passion for what I do.


Photo credit: BBC