Formed in 1985 by Mike Rutherford “as a side project to Genesis”, Mike + The Mechanics originally featured Paul Young (Sad Café) and Paul Carrack (Ace, Squeeze) as frontmen. Together, they found huge commercial success throughout the ’80s and ’90s achieving number ones all over the world and going on to sell over 10 million albums.

The band’s 1985 self-titled debut included the US and Canadian Top 10 hits “Silent Running (On Dangerous Ground)” and the GRAMMY®-nominated “All I Need Is A Miracle.” In 1986, the Mechanics built upon that success with Living Years, an international Top 10 best-seller with its single “The Living Years,” which earned Rutherford an Ivor Novello Award as well as four GRAMMY® nods.

The Mechanics’ success continued with 1991’s acclaimed album Word of Mouth, 1995’s Beggar on a Beach of Gold (featuring the international hit “Over My Shoulder”), and their second self-titled album in 1999 (better known as M6). After Paul Young’s sudden death in 2000, the band released one further album before deciding to call it a day.

In 2011, Rutherford started writing songs again and resurrected the Mechanics, inviting renowned vocalist and recording artist Andrew Roachford and acclaimed Broadway star Tim Howar to join him in the refuelled incarnation of the band it is today. Their chemistry was instant, and they released The Road that same year as the new Mechanics line-up, including Anthony Drennan (guitars), Gary Wallis (drums) and Luke Juby (keyboards).

The band began touring extensively again with huge success, playing sold-out concerts and captivating audiences with their blazing performances. They have remained together since, going on to release UK Top 10 album Let Me Fly (2017), and Out of the Blue (2019), which featured reworkings of some of their most loved hits and three new songs (“One Way,” “What Would You Do” and live favourite “Out of the Blue”), earning Mike + The Mechanics their fifth Top 10 on the UK Album Charts.

In 2025 Mike, Andrew and Tim took the band on the road with the “Looking Back – Living The Years” tour, marking 40 years of Mike + The Mechanics. They continue making music together.