Born on 23rd March: Marti Pellow (Wet Wet Wet), the embodiment of sobriety

Born Mark McLachlan, the singer of Wet Wet Wet, was born in 1965 in Scotland. He quickly developed a passion for music, which he discovered in the family's vinyl collection.

As a young boy he proudly announces to his parents that when he grows up, he will be a singer and musician. His father, who responds that this isn't a real job, the young boy replies: "It's my calling!"

In 1982, with three school friends, he founded Wet Wet Wet, choosing the name as a tribute to a song by the British post-punk band Scritti Politti. Raised on rock and punk, and fans of The Clash and Stevie Wonder, the four young men are passionate and determined. Their efforts paid off when they signed with Phonogram in 1985. They thus received the support they lacked to truly launch their careers. They promptly released their first single, "Wishing I Was Lucky" and find themselves catapulted to the top of the UK charts. The Wet Wet Wet machine is set in motion and their first album, "Popped In Soul" soon becomes a gold record.

Two years later, the second album marks another success for the group, quite prolific as they subsequently release one album per year. In 1994, Wet Wet Wet releases what remains one of their most famous titles, "Love Is All Around", a cover of a song by the group The Troggs. Number 1 in eight countries, the song is easily hummable and becomes iconic when it's chosen to be part of the soundtrack of the equally legendary "Four Weddings and a Funeral". To this day, it remains the best-selling love song in the United Kingdom.

The union between the Scottish boys begins to crack ten years after the formation of the group, worn down by the excesses of Marti Pellow, who, behind his charming smile, struggles with drug addiction. Conflicts over royalties add to the dissensions. Money, drugs, and meteoric success never make a good mix. And so, the singer leaves the group. "Success and celebrity are two different things. When you dream in your bedroom you imagine success as something pleasant and comfortable, but once you're there it's not comfortable at all, it's quite brutal," he later confided, recalling those somewhat crazy years.

He's later found releasing solo tracks and making successful appearances in several hit musicals. In 2003, freed from his addictions, he reunites with his old pals for a tour and a new record. He then leaves the adventure again: "We searched for that feeling of wonder again, but it never returned."

In 2021, the singer presents his new solo album, "Stargazer", in which he pays tribute to Marc Bolan, Harry Nilsson, John Lennon, Curtis Mayfield, and David Bowie. These are musicians who inspire him and who, like him, have been torn apart by their own demons. "What makes me most proud today is not a Brit Award (the ultimate accolade in English music); it's my sobriety," he concludes.

(MH with CMa - Photo: © Music Belgium Photos)

Photo: Marti Pelow on stage at the Cirque Royal in Brussels (Belgium) on 16th November 2024