At the height of 'Bros Mania' in the late eighties twins Matt and Luke Goss, and their former bandmate Craig Logan, were surrounded by hordes of screaming girls as they topped the charts as Bros with hits including When Will I Be Famous, I Owe You Nothing and Drop The Boy. And their devoted fans were known as 'Brosettes' with their uniforms of ripped jeans, bandanas and Grolsch bottle tops on their chunky shoes.
But today there is no screaming, just plenty of affectionate hugs all round, as singer-songwriter Matt signs copies of his new solo album The Beautiful Unknown at HMV in the Manchester Arndale Centre. Hundreds of fans are queueing to meet their idol on the mezzanine floor with some arriving at 10am to patiently secure their place for the signing at 2pm - and they're rewarded with cuddles from the sharply-dressed star who is resplendent in a monogrammed suit and brown fedora hat.
One fan, 47-year-old Mandy Gallagher, has travelled all the way from Drogheda in County Louth, Ireland to see Matt with her 25-year-old daughter Tamara as a Mother's Day gift, and her face lights up as he emerges from backstage with a wave for the waiting crowd.
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While she was stricken with coronavirus kindly Matt FaceTimed Mandy to give her a boost.
"I have waited three years to be able to see him," she tells us.
"I was a big fan from the beginning with the ripped jeans and bottle tops.
"And I wouldn't have got through being poorly with Covid without him."
Carol Scotland, 49, from Newcastle, has brought the pop legend a gift of her homemade shortbread.
"I've known Matt for years and he's one of the most genuine people you'll ever meet, she praises.
"He doesn't like me saying this but he's very underrated. Even though Bros were phenomenal he's more than that.
"He's such a talent."
Another excited fan tells us that she has been 'in love' with him since she was 12, and she's now 47.
Lesley Roughley, 48, proudly wears an original Bros T-shirt from their famous one-off concert on August 19 1989 which saw them become the youngest band to ever play Wembley Stadium and was attended by 77,000 fans.
Lesley, from Manchester, also has Matt and Luke's autographs tattooed on her left thigh as well as an inking of Matt's silhouette.
And Lorna Johnston, 50, has flown in from Belfast for the meet-and-greet.
"I'm 35 years a Brosette," she says.
"I became a fan after hearing Drop The Boy. He rang me on Mother's Day because I lost my mum and he also lost his mum. He also rang me on my birthday.
"And he rang my husband when he did a run for charity."
Thanks to the fascinating 2018 cult documentary Bros: When The Screaming Stops, which treated viewers to a glimpse into the lives of Matt and Luke, both of whom now live in America and were coming together again as they embarked on a comeback tour to the UK, Bros gained a new fanbase.
Reflecting on the devotion shown to him by his fans, Matt tells us: "I live in a constant state of gratitude. And I think that is a very beautiful ingredient to life.
"If you want a more enjoyable life just acknowledge the colour of the sky, and the colour of the grass and even on a cloudy day acknowledge the buildings, acknowledge that the only thing we can't do without is our next breath.
"If you live in that place of gratitude and if you've lost people like I've lost. I saw my mum looking at the trees and the sky for the last time and I saw that look in her eye and I saw her looking at everything in a way I had never seen anyone look. It was a very powerful moment for me to never forget how looking we all are.
"We all are going to have to say goodbye to each other at some point."
He says his new album, which sees him return to his radio-friendly pop roots following his crooner days during his long-running Las Vegas residency, is a 'love letter' to his fans who have likened it to the debut Bros album Push.
"The reason I named the album The Beautiful Unknown is because we are fearful of what we don't know. We are fearful of tomorrow and 'is it going to be alright next week?'" he says.
"I wanted the album title to encourage people to join the Matt Goss Mafia. We are spiritual gangsters."
He adds: "If you're too cool for school in my world you're just not cool. Just get on with having a nice time."
