The Mike Flowers Pops are a British easy listeningband fronted by Mike Flowers and supported by the "Sounds Superb Singers" and "Super Stereo Brass". Formed in 1993, there can be up to fourteen of them on stage at any time, and they are principally known for easy listening or lounge musiccovers of both 'classic' and contemporary pop music. The title "MFP" parodies the budget record labelMusic for Pleasure, also known as MFP, which produced a series of "Hot Hits" cover version albums in the 1960s and 1970s.
History
The band became famous in the UK in 1995 when they released a cover version of Oasis' hit song "Wonderwall". After seeing the band perform, BBC radio producer Will Saunders recruited Flowers for BBC Radio 1DJKevin Greening in order to cover the 'Hits of 95' for Greening's Saturday show; "Wonderwall" was his first week's project. Chris Evans heard the song and made it 'single of the week' on his Radio 1breakfast show, telling listeners that this was the original version of the song. The single, issued by London Records under the name The Mike Flowers Pops, was released while the Oasis original was still in the UK Singles Chart, and itself reached the Top 10. Flowers' version peaked at number 2 in the Christmas 1995 chart. Lou Reed, when asked at the time whether he had heard anything by Oasis, claimed: "Not that I would know. Oh, Wonderwall? The one I know is the Mike Flowers one. That is one of the funniest things I've ever heard in my life."
Following the success of "Wonderwall", The Mike Flowers Pops quickly advanced from performing shows in nightclubs and small concert halls to touring festivals and larger venues across Britain and Europe. A Groovy Place was released on 24 June 1996. At the end of 1996 they toured Britain with Gary Glitter on his last 'Who's in the Gang' tour. They played large venues including Wembley Arena and Birmingham NEC. Cover versions of The Doors' "Light My Fire", and "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" also reached the Top 40 of the UK chart. The Mike Flowers Pops played at the Shiiine On Weekender in November 2016 and at the 100 Club in London in December 2017.
