The Overtones

History

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. 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. Everest then had the idea of starting a painting and decorating company so that the five could practice together while working. It was while painting a shop near Oxford Street in London that the band were discovered by a talent scout, whilst singing "The Longest Time". They have since signed a 5-album deal with Warner Bros. Records.

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, and performing at Stockport's Christmas lights switch-on and at the Abbey Park fireworks display in Leicester. They have also made a number of television appearances, including on This Morning.

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 Show when presenter Brendan O'Connor had to hold up a curtain after a "terrible mishap occurred in the RTÉ studio". The incident, available on YouTube, was nominated for the "Brown Trousers Moment" award at the 2011 Erics.

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. They toured with Sir Cliff Richard in Germany, May 2014.

In 2016, The Overtones toured with stage show That's Entertainment, a show featuring music from the 30's, 40's and 50's era. 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 the 21st 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.

Timmy Matley

Timothy Thomas "Timmy" Matley is from Cork, Ireland. He was born on 16 February 1982. Timmy got into performing arts at the age of 14, and at 16 years old he came to London to audition for a performing arts school. Timmy left Ireland when he was 17, as he didn't enjoy college. He went travelling and then came back and decided to get involved with songwriting and singing. He is the lead singer of the band, and sometimes joins the middle harmonies of the band. He loves meerkats and knits in his spare time.

Mark Franks

Mark Robert Franks comes from Sale, Greater Manchester, England, and was born on 9 May 1977. He attended the Royal Ballet School from age 11 to 16. He was a professional dancer for 10 years before joining The Overtones. Mark has a passion for remixing music, and has released some of his fabulous 1980s remixes under his "DJ Rescue Rangerz" name on Soundcloud. He is very keen on all things 1980s and is a big Back To The Future fan. His favourite shop is Topman. Mark enjoys mixing modern clothing with vintage to create his own style. He sings the middle harmony sections in their songs.

Lachie Chapman

Lachlan Alexander "Lachie" Chapman was born 7 February 1981, and comes from Manly, New South Wales, Australia. He left Australia on his 25th birthday, and came to England in the hope of becoming an actor. He is the bass singer. Lachie would love to perform at Carnegie Hall. Back in Australia he has a dog called Matilda. In early 2016, Lachie appeared in Channel 4 comedy series Crashing.

Mike Crawshaw

Michael "Mike" Crawshaw was born on 12 February 1980 and comes from Bristol, England. From an early age, Mike wanted to go into football and athletics, and enjoyed family holidays to Cornwall. He got into singing when at college and sings the middle harmonies of the groups. His favourite song is "Superstition" by Stevie Wonder.

Darren Everest

Darren "Daz" Everest is the Essex boy of the band. He was born on 30 May 1981. Originally he wanted to go into football, but had to stop when getting ill with glandular fever, so went into singing, after he discovered his love for it. Darren is the falsetto voice of the band. He got his ears pierced when he was 18 years old and owns around 64 ties and bowties. He married his longtime girlfriend Bianka on 20 September 2014.