Let Loose

Let Loose emerged in 1987 as one of numerous boy bands that would later command the UK singles chart throughout the mid-1990s. Richie Wermerling, handling vocals and keyboards, assembled the initial lineup by placing an advertisement in Melody Maker that brought guitarist Rob Jeffery and drummer Lee Murray into the fold. Their earliest performances bore little resemblance to the polished image that later defined the group, a contrast Jeffery himself highlighted when he recalled, “In the early days of Let Loose we always used to wear black, and the music was a lot more bikery, more metally. We didn’t dance on stage - it wasn’t dance music - we’d stand there and perform real music with guitars.” After extensive touring and a gradual stylistic shift, the trio secured a recording deal with Virgin Records toward the close of the decade, only to find themselves among the artists affected when the label was sold to EMI. Mercury Records promptly stepped in with a fresh contract, yielding modest chart entries in 1993 and 1994 as both “Crazy For You” and “Seventeen” reached number 44 on the UK list. A subsequent re-release of “Crazy For You” kept the single inside the UK Top 10 for ten weeks, climbed to number 2, and earned gold certification, while a parallel reissue of “Seventeen” also became a substantial hit, pushing the band’s combined single sales to 700,000 units across 1994 even though their debut album managed only a number-20 peak. The year 1995 opened with “One Night Stand,” another straightforward example of boy-band pop that lacked any pronounced individuality. Additional Top 10 placements followed with “Best In Me” in 1995 and “Make It With You” in 1996 before the group gradually receded from public attention.