Whatever happened to... Let Loose?

While the 1980s were all about big hair, shoulder pads and synths, the 1990s heralded the rise of the boyband. Groups like Take That, Boyzone and Westlife may still - for better or for worse - be raiding our charts, but what about those no longer with us? Comprising Richie, Rob and Lee, Let Loose enjoyed one of the biggest hits of 1994 with 'Crazy For You', but have since disappeared. We tracked down lead singer Richie Wermerling to find out what happened.

How did your rise to fame come about?
"We put the group together through an advert in Melody Maker. We wanted to be a Duran Duran-type band but initially got a lot of interest from grunge and heavy metal musicians. Luckily we then found Lee and Rob otherwise Let Loose might have sounded quite different! We released a few songs that didn't really go anywhere so we just continued touring and getting our name known. 'Crazy For You' was then re-released in 1994 and climbed all the way to number two."

Did you ever think 'Crazy For You' would be such a big hit?
"No, not at all! I wrote the song myself and knew it was a bit prettier than some of my other ones, but I didn't think it would pick up as much as it did. It was around for months and even I had to turn off the radio after a while. It used to come on everywhere I was - sometimes I'd have to hide behind counters in supermarkets. I'm pleased though as it still pays for the bacon in the morning now!"

What was it like being part of a '90s boyband?
"We were a little bit older than some of the other boybands, so we didn't take our tops off when we appeared in Smash Hits. But we did pretty much every single TV show, including the last ever Jim'll Fix It. I have a vivid memory of being up in Leeds in front of 60,000 people and watching them go mad as the beginning of 'Crazy For You' came on. You really can't explain that feeling - I'm tingling just thinking about it."

Why had Let Loose disappeared by the end of the 90s?
"I think our mistake was that we left the release of our album too late. By the time it came out our fans had already heard loads of the songs. These days artists release their records after the first single. I haven't stopped doing music though. I started a new band in the US - we sounded a bit like Smash Mouth and the Eels - and over the past couple of years I've been focusing on my own thing. Some of my older songs have been picked up by publishers too, including one which went to number one in Japan."

What are the chances of a Let Loose reunion?
"Everyone has been doing different things, but we have mellowed as we've got older and forgotten about some of the bad things that might have happened. I'm putting my energy into a live show that's coming up soon - it will include some of our old material and some new songs. There's also a new Let Loose album called Paint In Gold that will be coming out soon. I think there is still appreciation for us out there. We will never be as big as Take That or Duran Duran, but there are definitely still people out there who want us back."

Press play below to watch the 'Crazy For You' video:



More about Let Loose at: http://www.myspace.com/letlooseofficial

What are your memories of Let Loose? Would you like to see a reunion? Use the space below to leave your comments.