Mike Crawshaw of The Overtones reflects on how the death of friend and bandmate Timmy Matley has affected the creative process behind their new album and tour, which will be stopping by Nottingham tomorrow

THERE’S a much-loved thread that runs through from the earliest days of popular music; the idea of male voices blending in delicious harmony. With their innate charm and adherence to vintage-modernist style, The Overtones are a bridge between pre-rock’n’roll classicism and lively 21st Century entertainment.

A stratospheric course of TV appearances (they performed nine songs on Dancing On Ice starring Nottingham’s own Torvill and Dean) led to hundreds of thousands of record sales for their debut album Good Ole’ Fashioned Love, and they’ve performed for the Queen, shared stages with Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder, and have celebrity fans in Will.i.am and Tom Hanks.

More than one million record sales and countless sold out headline tours later, the group are releasing their sixth album, simply titled The Overtones, on which they come to terms with becoming a four-piece after the untimely passing of their bandmate and friend Timmy Matley.

“The reason we called it The Overtones is because we felt like this was a celebration of what we as a five have achieved over the years. As a result of losing our friend and brother Timmy, all those sentiments needed in some way to reflect what we were going through and our thoughts and our feelings.”

Mike Crawshaw, resident tenor of The Overtones, comes across as charming, funny but also still deeply affected by the loss of his friend. It’s a sensitive topic, but are any specific tracks on the new record dedicated to Timmy?

“There’s a song called You To Me Are Everything, it’s a great song and an upbeat number and it would get people tapping their feet and dancing and singing along. That song we specifically put in because when Timmy was a young child he always thought it was called ‘You Timmy, Are Everything.’” He chuckles to himself and after a beat continues.

“It’s those nice little things, we wanted to make sure there are those elements of reflection and elements of sadness because in this situation it’s OK to be sad. If popping on certain songs on this album brings a tear to your eye, that’s actually OK.”

There’s been a great movement recently in regards to the mental wellbeing, especially in men, and Mike doesn’t shy away from the positive effect this album has had on them.

“The whole process was very therapeutic. This album served not only as a celebration of what The Overtones was with our friend Timmy, it’s also an introduction to The Overtones ‘The Next Chapter’ if you like. It’s been a useful few months recording this album.”

Mike is very clear that this isn’t an album full of reflective numbers though, “at the same time we are The Overtones and are famed for making people happy and putting a smile on people’s faces, so of course there are elements of this on the record too.

“We really are very proud of what we’ve achieved on this album and we can’t wait for everyone to hear it! “We’ve got a great version of My Girl, which turns it on its head, it’s not the same My Girl that you’ve heard before. At the moment I have a love affair with every song on this album.”

With a 22-date winter tour to support the record, it’s clear that seeing the effects of their music on their fans is one of the most important parts of the job.

“Touring is the frontline of what we do. You can tuck yourself away in a studio or you can stand in a TV studio singing into a camera, but you can never get a sense of the reaction of the fans and the audience until you’re singing in front of them. And you see then what those performances do to them and the amazing reaction. The amount of feedback we get that we’ve helped people through tough times. It really is beautiful for us.”

Mike promises that the live shows will be fantastic experience for all that come, and cites Love Is in the Air as the song he’s looking most forward to performing. “I can just imagine us on stage, stood there singing our hearts out, taking full lungs of air before we start singing with big smiles on our faces, looking at everyone else smiling.

“In my mind’s eye I can see that and it brings me a little bit of joy.”

And what are Mike’s hopes for this record, as it’s clear in the way he talks about the music how important this is to all