Matt Goss: Bros star on his new solo single, tour and estranged relationship with brother Luke

“It’s important to me getting out again, because I don’t want to compartmentalise my career as in Bros, Matt Goss in Vegas,” stresses Goss, 56. “I want to put it all into my thing called a career. I’ve got many loves in music and I want to bring that to the stage – I want to have a good, good time.

“I want to feel like I’m considered at least as an artist – I don’t want a free ride, but 38 years in the industry is a good amount of time to show your peers you’re serious about what you’re doing. And I don’t want to put a furry suit on.

"I want to sing. I’m proud of what I’ve learned, and I’m proud of what I do for an audience. Anyone that’s been to my show will usually leave feeling elevated and happy, and it’s important as a musician and as an entertainer to elevate people, put them first.”

Since Bros split up in 1992, Goss has been a solo artist, and while he admits he loved being on stage with his brother, he also relishes the freedom of performing on his own. “I was the lead singer in Bros, so I was always on the stage singing by myself, but having your family on stage, there’s nothing better in the world,” he reflects. “I love being on stage with my brother, but there’s also a beautiful freedom now.

“Sometimes being in a band, there’s constant worry that you’re going to offend or you can say something wrong, but when you’re a solo artist, you can actually just speak your mind and know what you want, and in some ways it’s a clearer experience.”

But he adds, wistfully: “There’s also something very beautiful about collaboration with the family…But I’m proud to say that I have hits, I can sing my hits without any guilt.

"I can just look forward to getting on stage and singing some of those songs and rearrange them a little and make them feel a certain way. Being in a band is a complex thing, but I still have a great relationship with my band on stage, and they become like your professional family.”

It’s fortunate that things are going so well with Goss and his band, because although he admits there’s “no good reason” why he shouldn’t still be getting up on stage with his brother and “having the time of our life”, that’s unlikely to happen any time soon as the twins are estranged. “I don’t speak to him,” declares Goss, “but I have, without question, done my best…

"We’re only here for a finite amount of time, and you have to get on with your own life. Obviously, try your best, and do what you can, but don’t kill yourself over it.

"I was heading towards that way, losing your way on how can you fix something. And if you try your best, that’s simply enough – I’ve come to realise that in the last couple of years. I’m very proud of how I’ve been as a brother.

“I was 11 years in Las Vegas – that’s one of the longest British residencies in Vegas history. That’s an achievement, that’s a dream, and I did it by myself. And if I can do that, then I can certainly jump on stage with my brother. But if it’s not an option, then I’ll continue to do what I do.”

And doing what he does is playing all sorts of instruments – “I play everything – piano, guitar, a bit of bass, bad drums – I’m a multi-instrumentalist, and I enjoy having a dabble on everything” – as well as singing and writing songs.

“I do love good lyrics. I do love words that are emotive or clever,” he says. “I fell in love with music at an early age – I used to sing with my Aunt Sally, and we just used to put on records and sing for three, four hours at a time. It was really beautiful – a much simpler and much more beautiful time in my life.”

There’s still plenty Goss wants to achieve, and he says: “I’ve had many hits, sold millions of records, raised a tonne of money on the philanthropic side. I want to come back here in the UK and be a working musician – I really want to be considered for every single live event, because I don’t want America to be the place where I felt most nourished creatively.”

He says he’d like a radio show, and he’s doing a movie this year with Stephen Dorff, “but music is the love of my life”. And he points out that he’s actually still in Bros too – the band reunited in 2017 for gigs in London and Manchester, and the first show at London’s O2 Arena sold out in a record seven seconds. However, a subsequent full UK tour was scrapped due to “logistical circumstances beyond their control”.

But Goss stresses: “I’m still in the band – we reunited. There’s no good reason that we shouldn’t be back on stage, having the time of our life. Whatever format he (Luke) would want, I’m up for it.”

Goss agrees that what’s happened between him and Luke could be compared with the Gallagher brothers fallout and the forthcoming Oasis reunion, and adds: “Exactly right – it’s a brother thing, I think.

"But anyway, he will always be one of the loves of my life – I really want him to be happy, but I’d like to be part of that equation.”

Matt Goss: The Hits and More tour starts on March 8, with dates in Sheffield, Hull, York and Leeds. Tickets are available from mattgossofficial.co.uk