Take That are preparing for a record-breaking 11-night run at Manchester Arena, The Spice Girls UK tour sold out in seconds, but do '90s rivals East 17 give a damn? Do they heck. They're getting into the spirit too with a reunion gig in Manchester. We spoke to lead singer Brian Harvey.

EAST 17 were the tough alternatives to those nice Take That boys.

They swore, they took drugs, they had scary dogs and, erm . . . wore their hats perched oddly on top on their heads.

But frontman Brian Harvey isn't as cocky as you'd expect before their comeback gig at Manchester Opera House.

"Comeback? It's not a comeback. I'm just paying the rent," he said.

"We've been doing small gigs for three or four years now.

"This is just a longer set with a bigger crowd.

"We're trying not to make a big deal out of it being a big comeback.

"We're just getting out there and trying not to expect too much.

"It's better than plumbing anyway."

The band got a good ribbing after briefly reforming last year following the success of the Take That reunion, then splitting almost immediately when Tony Mortimer left the group.

Now the threesome of Brian Harvey, John Hendy and Terry Coldwell have decided to carry on.

"That first reunion has to have been the quickest ever," said Brian.

"It was over and done with in about five minutes.

"It's always been hard between me and Tony. I don't think he likes me."

Brian says he isn't bitter about the success of old rivals Take That.

"People tell us it might be possible for the same thing to happen to us but I say come on man, let's be realistic, there can be only one winner and it was always going to be them.

"At the end of the day we were all young lads in the same boat.

"One day we were told 'This is your rival band' and we were like 'OK, whatever.' "At the time we were seen as more edgy than them, but what they have actually done is very shrewd.

"They've played the game. We went out there as rebels and spoke our minds and where does it get you? Nowhere.

"But I don't regret anything. We did what we wanted and you'd have never in a million years have got m in a video tied up with birds trying to shove jelly up my bum with a broom. No way."

Life wasn't easy for Brian after he was sacked from the band in 1997 over his comments about the drug ecstasy.

In 2001 he was attacked with a machete outside a nightclub.

In 2004 he quit reality show I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here after just one week.

In 2005 he battled depression and a reported suicide attempt and then had a brush with death after falling under the wheels of his own car in a freak accident which left him hospitalised for seven weeks and unable to walk.

"I do feel lucky to be here," he said.

"When I think back to myself lying in hospital with all these bars coming out of me, it's horrible.

"I felt like an old man. I couldn't walk, I couldn't do anything.

"It was a really tough time but I coped with it and it's humbled me in a lot of ways.

"Nowadays if I see myself going off on one I tell myself to calm down and go back to say sorry.

"It's given me a kick up the backside."

And Brian seems happy with his current life. He lives with his girlfriend in Walthamstow, in the same house he was brought up in by his nan and grandad.

"I'm the only one out of the band who stayed in Walthamstow," he said.

"I always knew in my heart I'd end up back here in this house.

"Even when I was off doing the pop star thing, I always knew I would end up back in this house, back in my old bedroom with the same lock on the door."

For Brian, some things never change. Mind you, thank goodness his choice of headwear has improved.

"Yeah, I still wear hats but I just don't wear them in a way that looks like I'm hiding a brick underneath them!"

See East 17 and 911 perform at Manchester Opera House on Monday, October 22. For tickets call box office on 0870 41 09 000.