East 17 reform with new singer replacing Brian Harvey

East 17 have reformed again - this time with a new singer replacing founding member Brian Harvey.

Blair Dreelan, who was a member of boyband 4th Ba5e and was in the papers last year for claiming the Matt Cardle stole his girlfriend, is to replace Harvey. He will join original members Tony Mortimer, John Hendy and Terry Coldwell in the new configuration.

They will release a new single, ’Secret Of My Life’, in July and tour the UK in the same month.

The band had 12 Top Ten hits between 1992 and 1998 and reformed with all four original members in 2006 for a one-off reunion show. After that they continued to tour as a three piece, with main songwriter Tony Mortimer declining to take part. Most famously they played Glastonbury in 2009 as news of Michael Jackson's death filtered through the site.

East 17 will play:

Glasgow 02 ABC2 (July 15)
Sheffield 02 Academy (16)
Liverpool 02 Academy (17)
Birmingham 02 Academy (20)
Oxford 02 Academy (21)
Bristol 02 Academy (22)
London 02 Academy Islington (26)

Recording forces East 17 to postpone UK tour

East 17 have been forced to postpone their UK tour due to recording commitments.

The pop band, who reunited formally last month, were due to tour in July, but have now pushed the dates back until the autumn.

The band, who are touring with new member Blair Dreelan instead of former singer Brian Harvey, are currently recording their fifth studio album, which is scheduled to be released in September. The new release will be their first since 1998’s 'Resurrection' and is preceded by a single 'Secret Of My Life', which will come out in July.

East 17 had 12 Top Ten hits between 1992 and 1998 and reformed with all four original members in 2006 for a one-off show. After that they continued to tour as a three piece, with main songwriter Tony Mortimer declining to take part.

Mortimer has now re-joined though, seemingly as the notoriously wild Harvey isn't part of the line-up.

East 17 will now play:

Brighton Concorde 2 (August 31)
O2 Bristol Academy 2 (September 1)
O2 Oxford Academy 2 (2)
O2 Liverpool Academy 2 (4)
O2 Glasgow Academy 2 (5)
O2 Newcastle Academy (6)
London O2 Academy Islington (8)
O2 Academy Birmingham 2 (9)
O2 Academy Sheffield 2 (10)

East 17: 'Our new album is inspired by Kings Of Leon and U2'

1990s pop group East 17 have said that their new album 'Dark Light' has been inspired by U2 and Kings Of Leon.

The band, who are most famous for their 1994 UK chart-topping single 'Stay Another Day', will put out the album on April 2 and have said it is "subconsciously inspired by American music and rock 'n' roll". The album does not feature the group's eccentric former frontman Brian Harvey.

The album's accompanying press release says of 'Dark Light': "It showcases the band’s new transatlantic rock sound, reminiscent of bands like Kings Of Leon and U2 and even artists like Brian Adams and Billy Joel. It’s a brave move and one that’s paid off on a record that's as catchy as 'Summer Of '69' and as soft rock and big sounding as it gets."

The band's songwriter Tony Mortimer, who has also produced the album, said of the record: "I think everyone is subconsciously inspired by American music and rock 'n' roll and this time around we wanted to do something more live with less tricks."

The album is the group's first since 1998's 'Resurrection' and will be released on FOD Records.

The tracklisting for 'Dark Light' is as follows:

'I Can't Get You Off My Mind (Crazy)'
'Crazy Fool'
'Nightlife'
'Counting Clouds'
'Break Ur Heart'
'Friday Night'
'Kiss Of Winter'
'Broken Valentine'
'Where Does Love Go'
'You Must Be An Angel'