It just wasn’t the same anymore without Timmy there onstage
Singer Lockie Chapman talks to about the tragedy which prompted his decision to quit The Overtones
AS a member of top-selling vocal group The Overtones, Lockie Chapman has played some pretty impressive concerts. But nothing prepared him for his solo debut. “The nerves!” cries Lockie recalling his pre-show jitters as he stepped out at intimate London nightspot Zédel in July. “I’ve sung for the Queen and the royal family many times, including the Diamond Jubilee Concert; I’ve performed in front of one million people at an outdoor New Year’s Eve concert in Berlin; countless concerts in large arenas, the whole shebang; but my heart was truly rattling inside my chest when I did my first solo show.”
Thankfully, the appearances were a roaring success, with audiences especially keen on the Australian baritone’s own songs.
“It’s such a different experience singing your own material, which has come from deep in your heart, for the very first time,” he says. “But I needn’t have worried. The shows went down a storm and the fans loved what they were hearing, and I had a ball being up there on stage, calling all the shots and leading my own show.”
Influenced by The Drifters, Dion and The Belmonts, The Four Seasons and Take That, The Overtones – Timmy Matley, Mike Crawshaw, Mark Franks, Darren Everest and Lachlan ‘Lockie’ Chapman – were famously discovered by a record company exec’ while working as decorators. Quickly signed, their debut album, 2010’s Good Ol’ Fashioned Love, eventually hit the top five. Further hit collections followed including Higher, Saturday Night At The Movies, Sweet Soul Music and, most recently, 2018’s The Overtones.
“It was such a huge shock being offered a five-album record deal with Warner Music and we were one of the extremely rare examples of a signed act really taking off with a bang,” Lockie recalls of the Overtones’ success. “That whole ride was absolutely extraordinary, the feeling of being a part of something which was resonating with everyone who listened to us.
‘‘I’ve got walls at home full of gold and platinum discs. We were in the right place at the right time doing the right thing, and everyone enjoyed it all so much. Lady Luck was truly watching over us when that all happened.”
But behind the scenes, co-founder Timmy had been diagnosed with cancer, forcing him to step back from touring. Though he recorded with the band, he tragically passed away in 2018 after falling from a 13th floor balcony. The sudden death understandably hit the surviving members hard, but they decided to honour his memory with a series of UK dates this year.
“It was an incredibly special tour, and a very hard tour, but it had to be done,” Lockie says, with sadness. “Timmy’s death ripped through us as a band and broke the hearts of so many fans around the world. It felt like the right thing to do, and to share the experiences of last year on tour was really important. There were so many fans who needed us to be there onstage in person. It was a public goodbye and an acknowledgement of the deep sadness of what had hit the band.”
But the tour became doubly significant when Lockie announced, in April, his intention to leave the quartet.
“The time simply came for me to leave the band,” he says. “I came to realise that my best memories with the band had been made some time ago, and to be honest, it just wasn’t the same without Timmy there onstage; his light, his joy, his extraordinary and uplifting voice. Sadly, it was just time to move on.”
Lockie made his last official appearance at the Isle Of Wight’s Shanklin Theatre, on May 4.
“It was a very special night but bittersweet. So many fans came from around the UK and around the world to see me off, which touched me very deeply.”
Joined by Welshman Jay James, Darren, Mike and Mark continue as The Overtones, with a tour booked in the run up to Christmas.
“The boys were looking to carry on in their way and I’m sure they will be delighting audiences all around the country like The Overtones always have,” Lockie says. “Spending close to a decade together, we were like a family and shared so much and I wish them nothing but the best of love, luck and good times.”
Lockie, too, is touring. Entitled Hello Again, his first solo tour sees him reconnect with fans with a series of intimate performances, joined by a three-piece band.
“My style is a mix of soulful, sentimental, honest, balladic, gospel and uplifting, and hopefully one which really touches people’s ears and hearts just like it did before,” he says of what audiences can expect from his shows, which will include self-penned tunes.
“I have a feeling people have been wondering for years how this big old thumper of a bass voice would mature and evolve! I’ve been writing music for some years now and it all comes from a genuine place in my heart and from my experience. I’m a boy from Australia who bought a one-way ticket to London and joined a band and sold one million albums. I was never expecting that at all, that wasn’t part of my flight path! There’s been plenty of loves and losses, highs and lows during this time and they are all represented in my music.” However, there will also be nods to the past. “I am thinking of putting some special Overtones songs into the mix. I didn’t get the chance to say goodbye on a final tour with the band, so it feels right to put in a few songs that I was known for singing during my time in the band. A last hoorah!”
Looking ahead, Lockie plans to follow the brief tour, and accompanying EP (Late Nite Lockie, recorded live at Zédel), with further dates, releases, limited edition art prints, and other yet-to-be-announced projects, including some acting.
“I am heading back into the studio to record my original material and I am looking at some record deals. My dreams are big and my ambition is high,” he says, enthusiastically. “It’s been such a rollercoaster over the last few years, and I’m full of excitement that there is light at the end of the tunnel, and I get to move towards it under my own steam.
“Oddly, I never planned on being a singer that one just landed directly into my lap. I moved to the UK to be an actor, and I will be working on stage this year. It’s to be announced soon. I’m excited to be doing some film work also. Singing, songwriting, acting, painting, touring, the whole lot – bring it on!”
●●Lockie Chapman plays The Glee Club, Birmingham, on Wednesday, November 27.