WETS AT WAR

Scots chart toppers only talking through lawyers as they face legal battle over legacy | Last original member Graeme Clark in fight to move forward with new line-up

- JOHN DINGWALL

WET Wet Wet are locked in a battle over the band's legacy, with its original members now talking through legal representatives.

Graeme Clark, who crafted charttopping songs such as Goodnight Girl, is the only one of the four still involved and wants to take a new line-up out on tour.

But a row has erupted about an early agreement made by bass player Clark, singer Marti Pellow, keyboard player Neil Mitchell and drummer Tommy Cunningham that all income be split four ways and there should be consensus over the Wets' direction.

Clark, 58, said: "It's all in the lap of lawyers at the moment, which is pretty difficult, but I've made my case in terms of what I'm doing.

"I want to take the band out on the road, I want to keep these songs up and sailing.

"There was a simplistic shareholders agreement we signed in the 90s, which is the only thing that keeps everybody safe.

"When one guy controls it there could L be the worry I might run away with the crown jewels and sell them for myself. That's what the agreement is about.

"Everything went four ways and it is etched in stone, but people are beginning to question the clauses.

"This is why there is no communication and it is going through lawyers. It's an expensive way of doing it." The working class lads grew up on the streets of Clyde-bank before forming Wet Wet Wet in 1982.

They went on to sell more than 15million singles and albums, spending 500 weeks in the UK charts.

At the height of their success only the removal of Love Is All Around from shops prevented it becoming Britain's longest-running No1 single, after 15 weeks at the top spot.