The boys were originally in a band called DYYCE, which then reformed as Lexi Joe, which formed the basis of The Overtones. With four members originally – Mark Franks, Mike Crawshaw, Darren Everest and Timmy Matley – the band had been performing for several years.[2] The four all shared an interest in the doo-wop genre of the 1950s mixed with R&B and modern pop music. Their voices bear strong resemblance to a 1980s doo-wop boyband, 14 Karat Soul. After auditioning on The X Factor in 2009, as Lexi Joe, they were rejected from the final top 24. Later, they met Lachie Chapman, discovered similar tastes in music and reformed themselves as a five-piece band, under the name of The Overtones.[2] Everest then had the idea of starting a painting and decorating company so that the five could practice together while working.[2] It was while painting a shop near Oxford Streetin London that the band were discovered by a talent scout,[1][2] whilst singing “The Longest Time“. They have since signed a 5-album deal with Warner Bros. Records.[2]
The debut album from The Overtones features a number of original tracks written by the band, including their first single “Gambling Man” as well as the title track “Good Ol’ Fashioned Love” and “Carolyn”. In 2010 they made a number of high-profile public appearances, supporting Peter Andre on tour,[2] and performing at Stockport‘s Christmas lights switch-on[3] and at the Abbey Park fireworks display in Leicester.[4] They have also made a number of television appearances, including on This Morning.[5]
On 13 March 2011, they were the house band for week 10 on the ITV show Dancing on Ice. On 1 June 2011 they were the house band for the third semi-final on the ITV show Britain’s Got More Talent. In November 2011, they performed on The Saturday Night Showwhen presenter Brendan O’Connor had to hold up a curtain after a “terrible mishap occurred in the RTÉ studio”.[6] The incident, available on YouTube, was nominated for the “Brown Trousers Moment” award at the 2011 Erics.[7]
On 29 September 2012 they appeared on an episode of Red or Black? being part of a round by using a handkerchief in their performance. On 9 December 2012 they appeared as special guest performers in the final episode of series 9 The Xtra Factor.
In mid 2013, they announced the release date of their third album, Saturday Night at the Movies. It is due to be released on 4 November 2013.
In early 2014, The Overtones went on a UK tour, stopping us in Belfast, Northern Ireland on 20 February.[8] They toured with Sir Cliff Richard in Germany, May 2014.[9]
In 2016, The Overtones toured with stage show That’s Entertainment, a show featuring music from the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. Later in 2016, The Overtones announced on their Facebook page that they would be touring from November to December, with their Christmas with The Overtones Tour. On 21 November 2016, Matley announced via Twitter that he would not be joining the rest of the band on tour due to having been diagnosed with skin cancer in September 2016.[10] Matley died on 9 April 2018 from multiple traumatic injuries sustained in a fall from a balcony.[11]
Their sixth studio album ‘The Overtones’ was released on 19 October 2018 on the band’s own label GamblingMan Records.