Formation (1991) East 17 began in 1991 when
Tony Mortimer was promised a record deal with
London Records after he presented his own material. The group was named East 17 after the
postcode of their hometown,
Walthamstow.
Walthamstow (1992–1993) The group was usually seen as a grittier, more political and
hip hop or rap-aligned ensemble than rival boy band
Take That, as noted by Guy Adams of
The Independent: East 17 had twelve top-10 hits on the
UK Singles Chart between 1992 and 1998. Their debut album,
Walthamstow, reached No. 1 on the
UK Albums Chart. It featured a string of Top 20 singles, including "
House of Love" and "Deep". "
It's Alright" became a major success in Australia, reaching No. 1 in early 1994 for seven consecutive weeks. Between 1992 and 1997, the band were managed by
Tom Watkins, who had also managed acts like the
Pet Shop Boys,
Bros, and
Kim Wilde.
Steam (1994) In 1994, upon the release of their second album,
Steam, East 17 scored their only UK number-one single with "
Stay Another Day".
Up All Night (1995–1996) The group's next album, 1995's
Up All Night, was less successful. In 1996, the group reached No. 2 with the track "
If You Ever", a duet with
Gabrielle. The single was featured on their compilation album
Around the World Hit Singles: The Journey So Far.
Mortimer's first departure and first split (1997) In January 1997, Brian Harvey was engulfed in a drug-related controversy when he claimed that he had taken
ecstasy pills on a night out, stating in the press that "It's cool to take drugs" and claiming that ecstasy "can make you a better person". This went against the group's image, and there was intense media scrutiny, leading to questions being raised in the
House of Commons. They landed a record deal with
Telstar Records after recording an album's worth of self-written material in their home studios. Their first single as E-17 was "
Each Time", which reached No. 2 in the UK. But without Mortimer's songwriting influence, the group's initial success soon wavered; sales of their next single, "
Betcha Can't Wait", were disappointing, reaching number 12 in the charts, and their album
Resurrection failed to make the UK Top 40. The band was later dropped by their label in 1999 and subsequently split up.
Post-split activities (1999–2006) In 2001, Harvey, now as a solo artist, released a collaboration with
Wyclef Jean, with the Top-20 single "
Loving You", but later returned to perform numerous gigs with Coldwell and Hendy. On the
ITV1 docusoap Redcoats, the trio were shown performing at
Butlins in
Bognor. Whilst in 2005, Harvey, Coldwell, and Hendy performed in Mongolia. In May 2005, Harvey was seriously injured in a car accident, requiring surgery.
Second reunion and Mortimer's second departure (2006–2009) On 4 February 2006, Harvey appeared on the UK music television show
CD:UK, where he announced that East 17 might make a comeback with its original lineup. In mid-February 2006, the group reformed and played their first comeback concert on 30 May at the
Shepherd's Bush Empire in London. along with a new album, "Universalization", but both went unreleased. East 17 performed at the
2009 Glastonbury Festival on 25 June in the dance lounge. In November 2009, the group collaborated with Mortimer in aid of the
Born Free Foundation. They performed two of their best-known songs—"Deep" and "Stay Another Day"—for the
Wild & Live! event at the
Royal Albert Hall. After the performance, the four agreed that it would be best if they never sang together again. However, according to a
BBC Radio 2 interview with
Zoë Ball in December 2009, songwriter Tony Mortimer mentioned that the band were on "talking terms" and planning a comeback for 2010.
Mortimer's second return, Harvey's departure, Dreelan's arrival and departure, and Dark Light (2010–2013) Tony Mortimer returned to East 17 in 2010. Brian Harvey left soon after, when his commitment was questioned by the rest of the group; he had been missing rehearsals and cancelling performances. In 2011,
T-Mobile used the East 17 song "House of Love" in a Royal Wedding "spoof" commercial. In April 2011, it was announced that Blair Dreelan had joined the band for their Back to the Future tour in August and September 2011 to promote their comeback single, "Secret of My Life". On 28 September 2011, Dreelan left the group due to contractual obligations. On 27 November 2011, East 17 appeared as musical guests on
X Factor Romania. East 17's fifth studio album,
Dark Light, along with the new single "I Can't Get You Off My Mind", were released in 2012.
Mortimer's third departure, Craig's arrival, 24/7, and Hendy's departure (2013–present) Tony Mortimer departed for the third time in 2013. Robbie Craig (born 1967) later joined East 17 in early 2014. John Hendy and Terry Coldwell became the only original members in the group at that stage. In 2017, East 17 partook in
B*Witched's Australia & NZ Tour as a supporting act alongside
Atomic Kitten,
S Club 3, and
Liberty X. During this time, the band released their sixth studio album,
24/7, exclusively in Australia, titling it
24/7: Australian Tour Edition. In June 2018, John Hendy departed the group, citing personal reasons. Since then, Terry John joined the band as Hendy's replacement, performed with them at numerous shows, but eventually also left and was replaced by Joe Livermore. On 27 August 2021, East 17 released
24/7 internationally. On 27 May 2022, East 17 released a new single, said to be from an upcoming album, called "I Just Wanna". On 1 December 2023, the band issued the single "Merry Quitmas". It was released in collaboration with Riot Labs, an
anti-smoking charity. On 11 December 2024, they released the single "Tell Me You're the One". ==Band members==