The Overtones

Biography by Jon O'Brien Following nuns, Cornish fisherman, and Chelsea pensioners, former decorating and painting team the Overtones are the latest unlikely act to sign a major record deal. The vocal harmony group consists of falsetto Mark Franks, a former Pet Shop Boys dancer from Manchester; Lachie Chapman from Sydney; Mike Crawshaw, an ex-model from Bristol; Darren Everest, a Sylvia Young Theatre School attendee from Essex; and Timmy Matley, a former Fame -- The Musical star from Cork. Influenced by the likes of the Ink Spots, the Drifters, and Michael Bublé, the Overtones formed their own home decor firm in 2009 in order to rehearse their sound while working. After a talent scout overheard them singing on Oxford Road in London's West End, he invited them to audition for Warner Music executives, where the quintet impressed the record company enough to earn a five-album deal and the label of the Take That of doo wop. After the Overtones supported Matt Goss on the U.K. version of his Las Vegas show, their debut album, Good Ol' Fashioned Love, a mixture of '50s/'60s nostalgia pop classics and self-penned tunes, including first single "Gambling Man," was released in 2010.