Former Rolling Stone bass player Bill Wyman launched a savage attack on British pop phenomenons Hear’Say on Wednesday, saying the band created for a hit TV series were nothing more than “plumpish boys and girls who mimed.”
“They are just pretty young people someone has discovered. They don’t write the songs they sing, most of the time they mime when performing live and most can’t play an instrument,” the veteran rocker told the Daily Mail.
“I didn’t see any creativity. It’s all a production and of no interest to me,” he said.
Wyman, 64, who recently kicked off a European tour with his band the Rhythm Kings, said the British music industry was in a state of decline and had become obsessed by youth.
“The real shame is that fewer and fewer youngsters play instruments or write their own songs,” he said.
Whatever Wyman’s views, Hear’Say have proved a runaway hit with the British public.
Band members Kym Marsh, Myleene Klass, Suzanne Shaw, Danny Foster and Noel Sullivan became instant celebrities when they were chosen from thousands of youngsters auditioned by the popular television series “Popstars.”
Their first release “Pure and Simple” was the best-selling British debut single ever, rocketing straight to the top of the charts. It was closely followed by their album “Popstars” which also shot to number one.
A spokesman for Hear’Say’s record company Polydor told the Daily Mail that the band had proved they could sing live and that they were very talented.
