Andy Brown: ‘I went solo after spiked drink nearly killed me’

Ex-Lawson star opens up about his life-changing scare
Life changing: Ex-Lawson star Andy Brown
Richard Isaac/Rex
The Weekender

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The former frontman of boy band Lawson says nearly dying from liver failure after his drink was spiked made him rethink his life — and launch a solo career.

Andy Brown, 30, announced he was stepping away from the group after signing a deal for a country album last year. His single, Talk Of The Town, was released two weeks ago and he is about to go on tour.

The singer, pictured, told the Standard the decision to go solo fitted with his “new outlook on life” following the incident in 2014, when he ended up on the emergency transplant list after his drink was spiked during a night out in Mayfair.

He said: “I had been to the pub with a few mates and the next thing I knew I woke up and it was 5pm the next day. I had no idea what had happened or how I got home. I had a terrible hangover for two weeks.

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“My mum, who works for the NHS, said I had to go get it checked out as I was turning yellow. A specialist confirmed it was liver failure. I was very seriously ill. In the end, a strong load of steroids fixed it. I am very, very lucky to be here.”

Brown, who also survived a brain tumour as a teenager, has been teetotal ever since. He added: “It really made me look at my rock star life. When you come that close to death you are forced to think about these things. It was a lot of fun but we were out all the time. I had an epiphany: ‘I need to grow up.’ It was a real shock to the system. I was in hospital surrounded with other people with liver failure and it was a real wake-up call. From then I have been approaching my life differently.”

He has since married his girlfriend, model and singer Joey McDowall, and last year they had a son, Knox. He begins his tour at the Borderline club in Soho next Tuesday. “I had always had the idea of releasing a country album and going solo fitted with my new outlook on life,” he said. “I hit the road next week. It is just five shows to say hello and reconnect to the fanbase. It is like starting all over again.”

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