1982–1997, 2004–Graeme ClarkBass1982–1997, 2004–
Graeme DuffinGuitar1983–1997, 2004–
Marti PellowVocals1982–1997, 2004–2017
Neil MitchellKeyboards1982–1997, 2004–2022
Tommy CunninghamDrums1982–1997, 2004–2022
Kevin SimmVocals2018-
Wet Wet Wet formed at Clydebank High School in Clydebank, Scotland, where four friends - Graeme Clark, Tommy Cunningham, Neil Mitchell and Mark McLachlan (later Marti Pellow) - first played together under the name Vortex Motion. They rehearsed in Mrs. Clark's kitchen and spent about two years honing their songwriting before making their live debut at Glasgow's Nightmoves club. "It was either crime, the dole, football, or music - and we chose music,"
Cunningham said.
The band took their name from a line in the Scritti Politti song "Gettin', Havin' & Holdin'," which includes the phrase "wet, wet with tears." They added a third "Wet" to stand out at a time when there were already plenty of double-name bands, and to give the name a more rhythmic, memorable feel.
Wet Wet Wet started as a punk-leaning covers outfit, working through songs by The Clash and Magazine while they figured out their identity. As their confidence in original material grew, they pivoted to writing their own tunes and eventually landed a deal with PolyGram after impressing A&R staff with their developing soul-pop sound. Their first professional show was a New Year's Eve gig at Glasgow's Barrowlands, a venue they would later return to as headliners.
Marti Pellow started out as Mark McLachlan, a trainee painter and decorator who became the band's charismatic focal point once his voice was discovered. Clark recalled seeing him as "this quiet kid who said very little, but when he sang, everyone listened," and that presence led McLachlan to adopt the stage name Marti Pellow as Wet Wet Wet took shape. Pellow left the band in 2017 after decades as their iconic frontman, and former Liberty X singer Kevin Simm later stepped into the role.
Wet Wet Wet's breakthrough came with "
Wishing I Was Lucky" in 1987, a song their first A&R man initially dismissed as "a poor effort." The band stuck to their instincts, released it with new support from A&R man Nick Angel, and watched it climb to #6 on the UK Singles Chart, kicking off a strong run for debut album
Popped In Souled Out,
Wet Wet Wet's first UK #1 came in 1988 with
their cover of The Beatles' "With A Little Help From My Friends," recorded for the ChildLine charity single, paired with Billy Bragg's version of "She's Leaving Home" on the flip side. They followed that success with the critically noted Memphis Sessions album, produced and mixed by Willie Mitchell at Royal Studios in Memphis, which showed their affinity for classic soul production values. Those projects helped cement the group's reputation as pop craftsmen with deep respect for soul and R&B traditions.
The band scored another UK #1 with their self-penned ballad "
Goodnight Girl" from the 1992 album
High on the Happy Side, their only chart-topping single written entirely by the band. The song arrived at a crucial moment. The previous two singles from the album had underperformed, and "Goodnight Girl" effectively rescued the campaign while expanding their audience for tender ballads. Five singles in total were taken from the album.
In 1994, Wet Wet Wet's
cover of The Troggs' "Love Is All Around," recorded for the film
Four Weddings and a Funeral, became their biggest global hit, spending 15 weeks at #1 in the UK and dominating the airwaves. The week before it could match the record held by Bryan Adams' "
(Everything I Do) I Do It For You," Marti Pellow insisted the single be pulled so the band could move on to finishing their next album,
Picture This.
The success of "Love Is All Around" cast a long shadow over the 1995 album
Picture This, which includes the hits "
Julia Says" and "
Don't Want To Forgive Me Now." Critics generally praised the record, but in later interviews band members acknowledged that the colossal impact of the soundtrack single made it difficult for any new material to get much attention.
Marti Pellow first quit Wet Wet Wet in May 1999, effectively disbanding the group; he launched his solo career with the album Smile in 2001. He went on to release over a dozen solo records and reinvented himself in musical theatre, starring in shows like Chicago, Chess, Evita and The Witches of Eastwick in the West End and on tour. After reuniting with Wet Wet Wet in 2004, he stayed for another run of albums and tours, but in July 2017 he announced that he was leaving the band for good to focus on concerts, acting and his own songwriting.
Wet Wet Wet have strong ties to their hometown, and in 1995 they became shirt sponsors of Clydebank F.C., the local football club. The sponsorship reflected their desire to put something back into the community that had supported them from their school-band days onward.
Across their career, Wet Wet Wet have sold over 15 million singles and albums, and their releases have spent more than 500 weeks on the official UK singles and album charts. Their catalog has been certified around 20x platinum in the UK, and they have scored 27 Top 40 singles, including three UK #1s.
