Tom, Matt & Michael Radio Interview - 15/12/15

So today Tom, Matt and Michael were interviewed by Nicola Gilroy on BBC Radio Lincolnshire, here is a summary of what they talked about!

Unfortunately Jamie and Richard were absent. Jamie was ill, Michael explained that he had been sick in the toilet so had to go home!  Richard was absent due to a bereavement.  "There's never a day without a drama!" he jokes!

The interview starts with Nicola giving a brief summary of what has happened to them so far and what they were doing before Collabro!  Apparently Tom had recently had an email offering him some more life modelling work.  For those of you who don't know, he used to be this!  When Nicola asked him why he did it he answers, "I needed the money and it was £20 an hour...but was only usually for a couple of hours." Michael adds that its £40 an hour now that he's in Collabro to which Tom jokes "Yeah I've put my rates up!"

Nicola says that she wants to ask a unique question but first asks which questions they get asked the most! Cue collective groan from the guys when one states its usually how they all got together to form Collabro!  However Michael and Tom do go on to tell the now famous story.

They also add that they get asked what Simon Cowell is really like and Tom answers "Well he's always really nice to us!"  Michael adds "He's got his on screen persona, he knows the industry inside out and he has to be brutally honest.  There are so many people entering these competitions so he has to be honest and give constructive criticism."

Next she asks if they feel exploited as Simon makes a lot of money out of them.  They answer "Obviously he makes money out of us but we wouldn't be here without him.  He was the one who put these shows together that enables artists to make a living." Tom adds "Its all about perspective, where we were and where we are now...we get to sing for a living!"

Nicola: "So is it as much money as you expected?"
Tom: "Its not as much as other people expected."
Nicola: "Has your lifestyle changed?"
Tom: "Well we can all pay the rent now! Michael and Jamie share to save money! We live comfortably! Michael got asked once 'where's your Ferrari?!' Its no where near enough for that!"
Michael: "Best way to describe it is its like a mini comfort blanket, we still have to get the tube, we can afford that extra drink on a night out or steak but its not a mansion or a yacht!
Matt: "But without it we wouldn't be able to pursue our music career or get that extra drink!"

Nicola: "Do you feel pressure that it won't last?"
Matt: "We know it can all be over at some point but we just live each moment and hope for the best, we're just enjoying it and really looking forward to the tour - bring it on!"

Nicola: "What's been the highlight so far?"
Matt: "LA was great, we stayed in this incredible villa and surprised two of our fans Hayley and Heaven!"
Tom: "Japan, we performed on something called Music Station which is their version of Top of the Pops, they liked us so much that they asked us to come back the next month and apparently that's unheard of for someone like us!"
Michael: "For me it was the Royal Variety Performance, we'd performed at the venue before but this time we were with the likes of One Direction, Bette Midler, Shirley Bassey & McBusted!  Also William and Kate were there too!  In the afternoon we all had to attend a health and safety meeting and in walked One Direction...they fashionably late! They said hello and the fact that they knew who we were was incredible!  We met Ed Sheeran which was a bit awkward as we'd knocked him off the No 1 spot with our debut album!"
Tom: "Yea nothing was said about that!" he laughs
Nicola: "Why not??? I would have done!"

Then "Let it Go" is played.

Nicola: "Lets talk about your book"
Michael "I haven't read the other guys chapters!"
Tom: "What....I've read yours"
Michael: "I've looked at your baby pictures!"
Tom: "Oh that's fair enough then!"
They explain that its from when they were born up until the Royal Variety Performance and that they need to keep adding to it like a never ending story!
Nicola: "Hey you could sing it!"
Matt: "It would get really annoying if we sang all the way through!"
Michael: "You basically send in your version and then they send it back to you with spelling corrections and alterations."
Tom: "Yeah, how dare you correct me!"
Michael: "No that's not how I wanted it to be written!"
They all laugh
Michael: "For example Jamie and Matt are from up north so how they write things doesn't always translate like 'why eye pet' to something like 'what are you up to love' They all laugh at Michael trying to explain this!!!

Nicola: "How much influence did you have with the Act 2 album?"
Tom: "We asked our Collaborators as they are the reason we won, had the first album and the tour, we sold 55 thousand tickets!  We had hundreds of responses and demoed twenty then picked the best ten!

Nicola: "So my unique question is if you were the Spice Girls which one would you be?"
Michael: "I'm the Posh one"
Matt:"I'm the Sporty one"
They all agree Jamie is Scary Spice and Richard Baby as he's the youngest.
Tom: "Does that mean I'm Ginger Spice by default?
Nicola: "Do you have a union jack dress?"
Tom: "No...but, I have a union jack jacket!"

They sing random bits of Spice Girls songs and when Nicola asks them to sing one they decline stating that they can't if they are not all there and that they made a pack like in Harry Potter!  They do sing a couple of lines of a song.

The interview ends with 'Bring him home'

Hope you enjoyed reading this, it was a lovely interview!