Sweet are a British glam rock band founded in 1968. Their best-known line-up included lead vocalist Brian Connolly, bassist Steve Priest, guitarist Andy Scott, and drummer Mick Tucker. Currently, one version of the band is led by Scott and included Tucker between 1985 and 1991, while the other was led by Priest until his death in 2020 and is still touring. Connolly also led a version of the band from 1984 until his death in 1997.
Scott's version includes lead vocalist Paul Manzi, bassist Lee Small, keyboardist/guitarist Tom Cory (all who joined in 2019) and drummer Adam Booth (since 2024). The final lineup of Priest's version, which ended with his death in 2020, included drummer Richie Onori and keyboardist Steve Stewart (both from 2008), guitarist Mitch Perry (from 2014) and vocalist Paulie Z (from 2017).
History In January 1968, Brian Connolly and Mick Tucker formed a band called The Sweetshop. They recruited bass guitarist and vocalist Steve Priest from a local band called The Army. Frank Torpey was recruited to play guitar. After releasing a few singles that failed to chart, the band were released from their recording contract and Frank Torpey left after a further year of fruitless toil. Guitarist Mick Stewart joined in 1969, although he was soon replaced by Andy Scott in September 1970.
In 1978, guitarist Nico Ramsden and keyboardist Gary Moberley joined the touring line-up. Connolly departed the band in 1979 after his alcoholism affected his live performances. In his absence, Priest and Scott shared lead vocals. Ray McRiner also replaced Ramsden. The band disbanded in 1981.
In 1985, Scott and Tucker organised their own version of Sweet with Paul Mario Day (previously played with Iron Maiden, More, and Wildfire) on lead vocals, Phil Lanzon of the band Grand Prix on keyboards, and Mal McNulty on bass. Day departed in 1989, McNulty moved onto lead vocals, and Jeff Brown joined on bass. Lanzon joined the band Uriah Heep in 1986, though he continued with The Sweet until 1988. Malcolm Pearson and Ian Gibbons filled in for Lanzon until Steve Mann arrived in December 1989.
Tucker departed after a show in Lochau, Austria, on 5 May 1991. Three drummers, Andy Hoyler, Bobby Andersen, and Bruce Bisland, provided short-term relief before Bodo Schopf took over. in 1992, Bodo left, and Bisland returned as a permanent drummer. McNulty departed in 1994, though he would briefly return that year to fill in for Jeff Brown on bass. In 1995, he similarly rejoined the band as lead singer while Rocky Newton substituted on bass). Chris Goulstone and Sweet's former keyboard players Gary Moberley and Ian Gibbons also filled-in for other players during 1995. Chad Brown of the band Lionheart was chosen as the new front man.
In 1996, Mann left to take a job in television and Gibbons came back for a short time before Steve Grant of the band The Animals became the permanent keyboardist. When Chad Brown quit in 1998 after developing a throat infection, Jeff Brown assumed lead vocals and bass duties. In 2003, Tony O'Hora (previously played with Onslaught and Praying Mantis) replaced Brown as lead vocalist and bassist. O'Hora briefly left and was replaced for some gigs by singer Mark Thompson Smith and bassist Jo Burt. Grant also handled lead vocals and bass briefly with Phil Lanzon returning on keyboards in his place. In 2006, Shy singer Tony Mills was briefly slated to be the Sweet's new singer/bassist but he departed after six shows in Denmark.
O'Hora returned in 2006 but had departed by the end of the year. Pete Lincoln subsequently joined as new singer/bassist. This line-up stayed constant until 2010 when Scott missed some shows due to health issues, he was temporarily replaced by Martin Mickels. Steve Grant departed in 2011, and O'Hora returned in this place. This line-up stayed the same until 2019, save for when Lincoln had to miss some shows in 2014 and 2015. In this case O'Hora moved back to lead vocals and bass and Paul Manzi played keyboards and guitar.
Pete Lincoln left in 2019 and was quickly replaced by O'Hora on bass and Manzi on keyboards and guitar, before O'Hora departed and Manzi did vocals/bass. Steve Mann returned on keyboards and guitar as a guest member, Tom Cory also handled keyboards and guitar and soon became permanent. Lee Small became new bassist and backing vocalist in 2019, with Manzi focusing on lead vocals only. In 2024, Bruce Bisland was replaced by tech Adam Booth, who had previously played drums in 2015 and bass in 2019. In 2025 FM guitarist Jim Kirkpatrick toured with The Sweet as backup guitarist for Scott.
Original band
Classic line-up ImageNameYears activeInstrumentsRelease contributionsSteve Priest1968–1982 all releasesMick Tucker1968–1982 Brian Connolly1968–1979 Andy Scott1970–1982all releases from Funny How Sweet Co-Co Can Be (1971) onwards
Early members ImageNameYears activeInstrumentsRelease contributionsFrank Torpey1968–1969 guitar"Slow Motion" (1968)Mick Stewart1969–1970
Touring musicians ImageNameYears activeInstrumentsRelease contributionsGary Moberley1978–1981keyboardsCut Above the Rest • Water's EdgeNico Ramsden1978guitarnoneRay McRiner1979
Lineups PeriodMembersReleasesJanuary 1968 – mid 1969 Brian Connolly – lead vocals Frank Torpey – guitar Steve Priest – bass, backing vocals Mick Tucker – drums, backing vocals "Slow Motion" (1968)Mid 1969 – Mid 1970 Brian Connolly – lead vocals Mick Stewart – guitar Steve Priest – bass, backing vocals Mick Tucker – drums, backing vocals "The Lollipop Man" (1969) "All You'll Ever Get from Me" (1970) "Get on the Line" (1970)Mid 1970 – February 1979 Brian Connolly – lead and backing vocals Andy Scott – guitars, backing and lead vocals, keyboards Steve Priest – bass, backing and lead vocals Mick Tucker – drums, backing vocals Funny How Sweet Co-Co Can Be (1971) Sweet Fanny Adams (1974) Desolation Boulevard (1974) Give Us a Wink (1976) Off the Record (1977) Level Headed (1978) Rock & Roll Disgrace – Live in Japan (1992) Blockbuster – Live on Stage (1993) Live in Denmark 1976 (1998) Live at the Rainbow 1973 (1999)February 1979 – late 1981 Steve Priest – lead and backing vocals, bass Andy Scott – guitar, keyboards, lead and backing vocals Mick Tucker – drums, backing and occasional lead vocals Cut Above the Rest (1979) Waters Edge (1980) Identity Crisis (1982)
Andy Scott's Sweet
Current members ImageNameYears activeInstrumentsRelease contributionsAndy Scott1985–presentall releasesPaul Manzi2019–present Isolation Boulevard (2020)Lee Small2019–presentTom TC Cory2019–presentAdam Booth2024–present Full Circle (2024) Jim Kirkpatrick2025–present guitar, backing vocals none
Former members ImageNameYears activeInstrumentsRelease contributionsMal McNulty1985–1994 Mick Tucker1985–1991 Phil LanzonPaul Mario Day1985–1989 lead vocalsJeff Brown1989–2003Steve Mann1989–1996 Bruce Bisland1992–2024 all releases from The Answer (1995) onwardsBodo Schopf1991–1992A (1992)Chad Brown1995–1998lead vocalsGlitz, Blitz & Hitz (1996)Steve Grant1996–2011Tony O'HoraPeter Lincoln2006–2019
Temporary musicians ImageNameYears activeInstrumentsNotesMalcolm Pearson1988keyboardsPearson filled in for Lanzon until Steve Mann joined in December 1989.Ian GibbonsGibbons filled in on keyboards several times, first in 1989 for Phil Lanzon, for Steve Mann in 1994 and 1996 and after Mann's departure and in 2005.Andy Hoyler1991drumsHoyler, Andersen and Bruce Bisland provided short-term relief for Mick Tucker before Bodo Schopf took over.Bobby AndersenGary Moberley1994keyboardsMoberley, Gibbons and Goulstone subbed in 1994.Chris GoulstoneRocky Newton1995bassNewton subbed on bass 1995 alongside the returning Mal McNulty on lead vocals.Jo Burt2005Thompson Smith and Burt performed with the band after O'Hora's first departure in November 2005 for some Swedish gigs.Mark Thompson Smithlead vocalsTony Mills2006 Mills was slated to be Sweet's new singer/bassist in early 2006 but it failed to work out and he left after six shows in Denmark.Martin Mickels2010guitarMickels subbed for Scott himself in March and April 2010 when he was absent from a couple of gigs due to ill health.Randall Waller2024Waller subbed for Scott during an Australian Tour in 2024.
Line-ups PeriodMembersReleasesEarly 1985 – July 1989 Paul Mario Day – lead vocals Andy Scott – guitar, backing vocals Mal McNulty – bass, backing vocals Phil Lanzon – keyboards, backing vocals Mick Tucker – drums, backing vocals Live at the Marquee (1989) Greatest Hits - Live (1994)July 1989 – November 1990 Andy Scott – guitar, backing vocals Mal McNulty – lead vocals Phil Lanzon – keyboards, backing vocals Mick Tucker – drums, backing vocals Jeff Brown – bass, backing vocalsNovember 1990 – 1991 Andy Scott – guitar, keyboards, backing vocals Mal McNulty – lead vocals Mick Tucker – drums, backing vocals Jeff Brown – bass, backing vocals Steve Mann – keyboards, guitar, backing vocals1991 – early 1992 Andy Scott – guitar, keyboards, backing vocals Mal McNulty – lead vocals Jeff Brown – bass, backing vocals Steve Mann – keyboards, guitars, backing vocals Bodo Schopf – drums, backing vocals A (1992) (Re-released in 1995 as The Answer)1992–1995 Andy Scott – guitar, keyboards, backing vocals Mal McNulty – lead vocals Jeff Brown – bass, backing vocals Steve Mann – keyboards, guitars, backing vocals Bruce Bisland – drums, backing vocalsrowspan="2" 1995 – January 1996 Andy Scott – guitars, keyboards, backing vocals Jeff Brown – bass, backing vocals Steve Mann – keyboards, guitars, backing vocals Bruce Bisland – drums, backing vocals Chad Brown – lead vocalsJanuary 1996 – early 1998 Andy Scott – guitar, keyboards backing vocals Jeff Brown – bass, backing vocals Bruce Bisland – drums, backing vocals Steve Grant – keyboards, guitars, backing vocals Chad Brown – lead vocals Glitz, Blitz & Hitz (1996)Early 1998 – early 2003 Andy Scott – guitars, keyboards, backing and lead vocals Jeff Brown – lead and backing vocals, bass Bruce Bisland – drums, backing vocals Steve Grant – keyboards, guitars, backing vocals Sweetlife (2002)2003–2005 Andy Scott – guitars, keyboards, backing and lead vocals Bruce Bisland – drums, backing vocals Steve Grant – keyboards, guitars, backing vocals Tony O'Hora – lead and backing vocals, bassrowspan="4" 2005 – January 2006 Andy Scott – guitars, backing and lead vocals Bruce Bisland – drums, backing vocals Steve Grant – lead and backing vocals, bass Phil Lanzon – keyboards, backing vocalsJanuary–August 2006 Andy Scott – guitars, keyboards, backing and lead vocals Bruce Bisland – drums, backing vocals Steve Grant – keyboards, guitars, backing and occasional lead vocals Tony O'Hora – lead vocals and backing vocals, bassAugust 2006 – early 2011 Andy Scott – guitars, keyboards, backing and lead vocals Bruce Bisland – drums, backing vocals Steve Grant – keyboards, guitars, backing and occasional lead vocals Peter Lincoln – lead and backing vocals, bassEarly 2011 – June 2019 Andy Scott – guitars, keyboards, backing and lead vocals Bruce Bisland – drums, backing and occasional lead vocals Peter Lincoln – lead and backing vocals, bass Tony O'Hora – keyboards, guitars, backing and lead vocals New York Connection (2012) Desolation Boulevard Revisited (2012) Sweet Fanny Adams Revisited (2013)June–October 2019 Andy Scott – guitars, keyboards, backing and lead vocals Bruce Bisland – drums, backing and occasional lead vocals Tony O'Hora – keyboards, guitars, backing and lead vocals Paul Manzi – lead and backing vocals, bassOctober 2019 – July 2024 Andy Scott – guitars, keyboards, backing vocals Bruce Bisland – drums, backing vocals Paul Manzi – lead vocals Lee Small – bass, backing vocals Tom Cory – keyboards, guitars, backing vocals Isolation Boulevard (2020) Full Circle (2024)July 2024 – present Andy Scott – guitars, keyboards, backing and occasional lead vocals Paul Manzi – lead vocals