The comic's many critics will claim reviving Brent is a tacit admission he's failed to scale the creative heights reached inside Wernham–Hogg paper merchants, but it's worth noting there has always been a frustrated pop star lurking inside Gervais.
In the early 80s he released two singles in the pop group Seona Dancing, including "Bitter Heart" (above). Neither attempt would break into the top 40 and the band flopped, meaning Gervais had to wait another 20 years for his next shot at fame. Thankfully, that went rather more successfully.