S Club 7 announce reunion tour to celebrate 25th anniversary
The iconic band's reunion tour kicks off in October, ITV News' Pablo Taylor reports
S Club 7 hailed a "special thing" as they announced they are reuniting for a UK tour later this year in celebration of their 25th anniversary.
The seven-piece pop group were originally created by former Spice Girls manager Simon Fuller in 1998 and produced hits including Reach, Don’t Stop Movin’ and their debut Bring It All Back.
In 2003 they disbanded but briefly came back together in 2014 to perform a medley of their best-known songs for the BBC Children In Need appeal.
Their new UK and Ireland arena reunion tour will see all the original seven members – Rachel Stevens, Bradley McIntosh, Hannah Spearritt, Jo O’Meara, Jon Lee, Paul Cattermole and Tina Barrett – back on the road together.
Stevens said it is a “special thing” to be bringing back the group’s “joyful and positive” lyrics to a new generation given the “world right now”.
Group member Barrett, joked the S Club babies could be the tour’s support act, said: “My six-year-old loves (the S Club 7 song) Reach. He learned it at school and he does the dance routine and everything. It’s just the cutest.”
During a press conference in London hosted by radio DJ Scott Mills, 44-year-old Stevens added: “I think it was a resounding yes from everyone. I think everyone is in such a brilliant place.
“I think where we are in the world right now, we just want to get up there and bring some joy and positivity."
When asked what her two children thought when seeing footage of her performing in the band, she said: “(They think I’m) just so uncool.
“Actually, on the way to school one day I remember Don’t Stop Movin’ came on and they were so excited, they were like ‘wind down the windows’.”
They will open their 11-date tour on October 13 in Liverpool’s M&S Bank Arena before continuing to cities including Cardiff, Dublin, Glasgow, Newcastle and Manchester.
The O2 in London will be the last stop on the tour on October 28.
The dates are as follows:
13 October – Liverpool, M&S Bank Arena
14 October – Sheffield, Utilita Arena
16 October – Dublin, 3Arena
18 October – Glasgow, OVO Hydro
19 October – Newcastle, Utilita Arena
20 October – Leeds, First Direct Arena
21 October – Manchester, AO Arena
23 October – Cardiff, International Arena
24 October – Nottingham, Motorpoint Arena
26 October - Birmingham, Utilia Arena
28 October - London, The O2
The group confirmed everyone had immediately agreed to reunite as it “felt like the right time” for them.
They said they were most excited to perform their hit Reach on the tour but added that they were open to fans contacting them through social media to request what songs they would like to hear during the shows.
During their five years together they produced four studio albums with their debut, S Club, launching in 1999.
They followed this up with the chart-topper 7 in 2000, Sunshine in 2001 and Seeing Double in 2002.
The group also achieved number one status on a number of tracks including Never Had A Dream Come True and Have You Ever. They also cemented their fame after starring in their own BBC TV series Miami 7 and LA 7.
After they called it a day, band members went on to explore other pursuits, with Stevens launching a solo music career and competing on Strictly Come Dancing and Dancing On Ice.
Spearritt became a TV actress, with roles in shows such as ITV’s Primeval, and Lee has performed in West End shows including Les Miserables and Jersey Boys.
McIntosh, O’Meara and Cattermole later became members of the spin-off group S Club Allstars, previously S Club 3, with Barrett joining them in 2014.
O’Meara, who also released solo music and appeared on Celebrity Big Brother in 2007, has gone through a number of back operations in recent years.
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