GRATUITOUS NUDITY

THE BOYS OF BGT’S POPERA GROUP COLLABRO REVEAL THEIR WICKED SIDES

Words: Christian Guiltenane

ANGELS WITH DIRTY BASSES

Photography: Joseph Sinclair / Styling: Nick Byam / Location: Kettner’s

From left: Richard, Michael, Jamie, Thomas and Matt

There are many musical combos out there that’d whip off their clothes without a second thought. McBusted, Blue, they’ve all done it, and left their ravenous fans in a delirious frenzy.

But can you imagine sweet-sounding, balladeering popera group Collabro following suit? Not on your nelly. They’re far too well-behaved to be getting up to that sort of malarkey. Or are they? As we discover on our shoot at London’s swanky eatery, Kettner’s, the five young chaps — Richard Hadfield, Michael Auger, Matt Pagan, Tom Redgrave and Jamie Lambert — who burst into our lives last spring on Britain’s Got Talent are not only up for a bit of nudey fun, but also have a refreshingly wicked sense of humour to boot.

Although a couple of the boys are a little shy about stripping off, Richard — the one-time rugby hunk — immediately puts everyone at ease by confidently whipping off his clothes to reveal the thickest most muscular thighs we have ever seen, and slipping into a dressing gown as he awaits his turn with the very lucky groomer. “If the gay fans want to see us get our kit off,” he teases nonchalantly, “then let’s have it.”

If you’re not familiar with the Collabro boys then you’re obviously not one of the hundreds of thousands of music lovers who snapped up their debut album of covers, Stars, last autumn or saw them on their sell out theatre tour earlier in the year. They might not be a fixture on the picky Radio 1 playlist but they bring genuine pleasure and comfort to fans of all ages. And in a world as difficult as ours, who can ask for more?