BROTHERS IN ARMS: 'THERE'S TRUST AND WE'VE GOT EACH OTHER'S BACKS’

MUSICAL DUO MICHAEL BALL AND ALFIE BOE ARE TEAMING UP AGAIN WITH A VEGAS-INSPIRED ALBUM AND PLENTY OF BANTER

- MARGARET HUSSEY

Within minutes of chatting to Michael Ball and Alfie Boe it's clear that this working partnership is so much more than that. Funny and deadpanning one minute and then serious and supporting each other the next, it's a true friendship that goes way beyond music.

Michael nods. "There's a real trust between us," he says.

"We've got each other's backs." While Alfie chimes, "Off-stage we have just as good a friendship as we have on." The singing pair have known each other since 2007 when they met on the ill-fated production of Kismet at the London Coliseum. The show was panned by critics, but Michael and Alfie's paths continued to cross.

Almost 10 years later, their debut album Together was one of the best-selling records of 2016. As a duo they have sold 1.5 million albums in the UK and their new offering Together In Vegas looks set to continue that success.

Are they amazed by how quickly that time has gone and that they are now on their fifth album? "I've tried to put it out of my mind!" jokes Alfie. "Is there no one else available?" Michael flashes back.

Michael, 60, continues, "When this idea first happened, to do something together, we didn't want it to be contrived.

And for it to have captured people's imaginations and for them to have liked it so much is incredible." For Together In Vegas they've gone back to the classic songs of the 1950s and 1960s - think Elvis Presley, Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra.

"I'm very excited about the album," says Alfie, 49. "It screams Las Vegas. It celebrates all the major artists that have played there and celebrates the city. We wanted the album to have energy and something dancey about it." The idea for the album came about after Alfie performed at the International Theater at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino this summer.