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SPOILER FREE: S Club: The Good Times Tour

JosephBoone
in S Club

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Not a spoiler don't worry!! Glad to see they're having fun in rehearsals, I'm so excited for this tour :wub:
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Now United confirmed as opener. They're Simon Fuller's more recent band so perhaps not surprising, but also not the most exciting name. They have a couple of bops though x

Bradley did an interview with Express & Star:

 

“Honestly, we’re so proud, so honoured, that we can come back. It was quite nerve-wracking. Simon Fuller our manager called about the 25th anniversary and asked if we fancied doing a tour. Without hesitation, everybody was up for it, 100 per cent. But you never know how well it’s going to do. London’s O2 is a massive venue, then there’s Birmingham, and Manchester. You know: are we gonna sell those out?

 

“Honestly, we are so proud that we managed to sell so many tickets, really, really fast. Yeah, we’re just really excited about it.”

 

“Absolutely. I mean, this time round, I think all the kids that were kids when we first came out are now grown adults with their own kids…” That’s a lot of kids. Bradley laughs. “We want those original fans to introduce their kids to our music. They loved S Club growing up and they can bring them to the show. It’s fantastic. We’re so proud and honoured to be a part of something that meant so much to people when they were growing up. It’s just fantastic. That’s why 25 years later we can put on a show. It’s people who are mid-20s up to late 30s, that’s the audience.”

 

S Club, now down to five members after the departure of Hannah Spearitt, released These Are the Days in memory of Cattermole. The tour, which has been renamed S Club: The Good Times Tour, is also a tribute to Paul, having taken its name from an S Club song and a big fan favourite on which he sang lead vocals.

 

It’s a time to look forward, however, and Bradley is mindful of the incredible ride that the band enjoyed, at the end of the 20th century.

 

“It’s a weird one actually because I can’t say it went really quickly. I’d say we did so much in such a short time. It was five years, maybe six, with one year of prep then five years in the public eye. We were doing so much constantly there was never a dull moment. We had hardly any time off. We were constantly flying backwards and forwards.

 

“What made us so different from other bands was that we had a TV show. We did the album, we’d film our music, and that was incorporated into the TV show. So we’d record the songs, then we’d fly to America, do the TV show and once the TV show was finished we’d fly home. We’d promote the album, promote the TV show, and once that was done we’d fly back to America to record, do another TV and start it all again.

 

“We had four seasons of TV shows, a couple of hour-long specials, then we had our feature movie as well. So in that five years, with promoting, doing TV shows, and touring, it was so much. You don’t really process it until after. People say: ‘Do you know you had Beanie Babies?’ No. I didn’t. I’ve just discovered that we did.

 

“I’m very proud, very, very proud.

 

“When I was a bit younger, I always wanted to be cool. Some people didn’t consider S Club as being very cool back then. I’m from south London and I loved r’n’b and hip hop and there I was, in this pop group.

 

“But I enjoyed the music. I’m from a musical background and love all kinds of music. When we were younger, the press used to call us teeny boppers, and a manufactured band. But now that we’re a bit older, we’re pop icons, we’re pop legends – and that’s great.”

 

“My dad was in a soul band, back in the day. My mum and dad were in bands. I saw them on Top of the Pops when I was growing up. They had a big hit, Spend The Night, and my mum went onto be in Bomb The Bass and did Baby Don’t Make Me Wait. Then she went onto do vocals with Rod Stewart and Jamiroquai – people like that.

 

“So I’ve always been around music and they’ve just been such a huge inspiration to me. To be a part of something like S Club is just a dream. They were just supportive. They have been the most supportive. My dad has been my rock – you know, and my mum. There are no favourites. The first thing my dad said to me when I got into the industry was this. He said: ‘Son, there are two things. First, I want you to have fun. Second, just remember, nobody likes a big head’.”

 

For all the sunshine, of course, there have been plenty of times when S Club was exhausting and difficult – that’s life, whether you’re a plumber, a painter and decorator, or a pop star. And S Club were no different. There were criticisms of Simon Fuller, there were financial issues, there were a gamut of issues that come with being in one of the UK’s most successful pop bands of all time. Through it all, Bradley was able to turn to his parents.

 

“They were great. 100 per cent. My friends were so supportive too. We went off on this massive journey and all of a sudden we came home and there was stardom. People knew our names. But my friends didn’t change. I remember the first we came home from filming Miami 7 and I was sitting in my mate’s room and I said: ‘I’m gonna be on TV in a minute’.

 

“And we were all sitting round. And they were like: ‘What?’ And I said: ‘Yeah, I’m gonna be on BBC’.

 

“We stopped what we were doing – we were playing video games, we were playing FIFA. So we turned on the TV and they laughed at me for a second. ‘What’s going on?’

 

“And then we turned the TV off and carried on playing FIFA. So every time I came home, my friends just treated me like Bradley. There was never any Mr Celebrity, there was no teasing. They just treated me normal and that kept me grounded, which is very important.”

 

These Are The Days has been well received – though it’s funny to think of S Club as being veterans as they adapt to the digital age in which the record was recorded.

 

“It’s all changed. The producer was in Canada so we were doing Zoom sessions. It was mind-blowing. It was good fun. It doesn’t feel strange for us to come back together and be in a studio. It’s like, we’ve got this connection, so it doesn’t feel weird. It doesn’t feel like we’ve spent time apart.”

 

It’s time to wrap up, but there’s still a little time to reflect on the good times – and to get the party started.

 

“The chemistry is still there. It’s great. We’re going on tour. The tour’s around the corner and we’re not that far away from it– especially Birmingham. Our very last show is in Birmingham and that’s always one of the most important shows. It’s sad to say goodbye to the tour but there’s always an energy and a buzz and we know there’s going to be a massive party afterwards. So Birmimgham – come and see us, I think there’s a few tickets left.”

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Jo and Jon spoke with Manchester Evening News!

 

When S Club 7 last performed in Manchester eight years ago, all seven members finished up the show with a rousing sing-a-long of their legendary hit Don’t Stop Movin’ in front of tens of thousands of devoted fans.

 

Sadly, it would be the last time all seven members would be on stage in Manchester together. Paul Cattermole, who was a part of the band from its inception in 1998 up until 2002, sadly passed away from underlying heart conditions just months after the band announced plans for their comeback tour earlier this year.

 

Following his tragic passing, fellow bandmate later Hannah Spearritt announced she would no longer be taking part in the 14-date tour, which will kick off in Manchester at the AO Arena on October 12 (tickets here) before returning to the city for a sold out show on October 21.

 

Speaking to the M.E.N ahead of the tour, members Jo O’Meara and Jon Lee said the band’s initial plans for how the show was going to look have now been scrapped altogether in order to turn the tour into a celebration of Paul’s life and the ‘good times’ the band shared over the years.

 

“We’re going to be honouring Paul throughout the entire tour,” Jo, 44, explains of the upcoming five-piece show. “Renaming it the Good Times tour was just a no-brainer for us and It just seemed like the right thing for us to do.

 

“Paul was going to sing that song on the tour – he had it all planned out how he was going to perform it with his guitar. It is just the ideal name for the tour.

 

“S Club has always been about positivity and being upbeat so it’s going to be more about celebrating Paul’s life in a really uplifting way but it is definitely going to feel like Paul is there with us on stage, for sure.”

 

Jon, 41, added: “We’re also going to be dedicating the first night in Manchester to the British Heart Foundation as Paul died of underlying heart conditions that he wasn’t aware of. We’re going to be working with them throughout the tour and hopefully into next year to try and raise awareness.

 

“It’ll be emotional but we want to make it a celebration of 25 years of S Club. It’s no mean feat to still be around after 25 years so it will be a chance for us all to really honour everything that we’ve worked so hard on over those years.”

 

Having released four albums and 14 singles, the pair admit the band had a difficult task deciding which songs would make it onto the set list – especially as a number of S Club’s album tracks also became popular through their inclusion on the band’s hit CBBC shows Miami 7, L.A 7 and Hollywood 7.

 

But, fear not, the likes of Bring It All Back, Reach, Don’t Stop Movin’ and Never Had A Dream Come True are all set to be performed.

 

“There’s a few songs that we’ll be performing for the first time because the fans have asked for them,” Jon explains. “They’re finally going to get to hear some of those songs live on stage. We’re very fortunate in the sense that we have a back catalogue that everyone knows so well.”

 

Jo adds: “We’ve taken on board what the fans have said and tried to narrow them down but how lucky are we to be in a position where we have to cut songs? That’s a very privileged position to be in, so we’ll be picking the best to ensure we get the right mix.”

 

Jo and Jon say the band are extremely excited to be opening the tour in Manchester – having had fond memories of performing in the city over the span of their career.

 

“I don’t think we could have started off in a better place,” Jo says. “It’s scary because it’s one of the biggest audiences but the reaction we’ve always had from Manchester is just so energetic. Our Manchester fans are just loud, which is what we want – the louder the better.”

 

Jon adds: “Manchester has always been one of our favourite places to play. When you’re standing there and you have tens of thousands of people screaming and singing along with you, the energy is unreal.”

 

In July, S Club released These Are the Days – their first single in 20 years. Made alongside a number of songwriters and producers the band has previously worked with, the song’s video featured the group looking through photographs and memories throughout their time as a seven-piece.

 

The track received such a positive reaction from fans that the band say they are now contemplating working on more music.

 

“It was lovely to get back into the studio together,” Jo explained. “These Are The Days was just the perfect song for us – it felt right. We were all very happy to see the fans react so well to it.

 

Jon added: “We’re just mainly focusing on the tour at the moment but we’re listening to the fans and we’re all up for making more music. When we get the time to record new music, we will.”

 

And, speaking of getting back in the studio and rehearsal room together, Jo said: “It’s been really nice. I think the special thing about S Club in general is that it doesn’t matter how much time passes, it’s literally like stepping into a time machine – you just pick up where you left things, with the same kind of jokes with each other.

 

“it’s lovely for us all to get back together and we can’t wait to see the fans again.”

AHHHH!!

 

So excited.

 

I hope they do something so more tickets for Manchester sell as there are a lot of seats!

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640x410-s-club-show-your-hearts.png

 

S Club shine a spotlight on heart conditions this September

We're joining forces with noughties pop sensation S Club this month to shine a spotlight on heart conditions in memory of their much-loved band member Paul.

https://www.bhf.org.uk/what-we-do/news-from...-this-september

 

The band are encouraging the public to support our Spotlight On campaign this month in honour of the singer who died in April this year, at the age of 46, from an underlying heart condition.

 

Together we want to shine a spotlight on the devastating impact of hidden heart conditions, and raise funds for vital research this September. These conditions can often go undiagnosed for too long, until something goes wrong or it's too late. As part of the campaign S Club are encouraging fans and people across the country to post a picture on social media with the hand heart gesture to show their support and tagging their post with #showyourhearts.

 

The British pop band, who announced their 25th anniversary reunion tour just weeks before Paul’s tragic death, will be dedicating the first night of their ‘Good Times Tour' in Manchester on the 12th October to the BHF in his memory.

 

Jon Lee, S Club member, said: “As a band we all personally know the devastating affect heart and circulatory diseases can have on people’s lives. Our hearts feel emptier without him, and we miss him every single day. It’s heartbreaking to know that this isn’t uncommon and far too many people die too soon from heart conditions they didn’t know they had. That’s why we’re asking everyone to show their heart and join the BHF by shining a spotlight on these conditions this September.”

 

The announcement comes as new research we commissioned revealed people in the UK severely underestimate the scale and seriousness of heart and circulatory diseases.

 

While it’s estimated around half of people in the UK will get a heart or circulatory condition during their lifetime, almost a quarter (23 per cent) of those surveyed thought the likelihood of them developing a heart condition was only one in 10, while nearly a fifth (19 per cent) thought the chance was just one in 50. Only three per cent of respondents knew the correct answer - which is 1 in 2.

 

Across the generations, millennials (31 per cent) are most likely to think they will ever be affected by heart and circulatory diseases, whereas baby boomers are the least likely (18 per cent).

 

These perceptions stand in stark contrast to the fact that there are currently around 7.6 million people living with a heart or circulatory disease in the UK, and these figures could rise further.

 

People are unaware of the scale of heart and circulatory disease

Our Chief Executive, Dr Charmaine Griffiths, said: “We’re honoured to be joining forces with S Club to shine a spotlight on heart and circulatory conditions in memory of their beloved band member Paul. Like too many families across the UK, Paul’s loved ones only knew he had a heart condition after his tragic death at such a young age. Hidden heart conditions cut people down in the prime of their lives and rob families of their loved ones in sudden and shocking ways.

 

“It’s particularly worrying to see so many people are unaware of the scale of heart and circulatory diseases in the UK when one in two of us will be affected. That’s why together, with S Club, we want to raise awareness and bring heart and circulatory conditions into focus this September. By raising funds for our lifesaving research, we get a step closer to research breakthroughs that could help save and improve millions of lives and prevent people from losing loved ones too soon.”

Definitely going to try for the Toronto date. I’m off that week!!
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Wow, I know how huge the demand for a US tour has been, I really hope this sells well for them! Wonder if any other global dates will come next?
WOW! They’ve announced a US tour!

They aren't doing arenas, so the production will most likely be scaled down significantly.

 

Isn't it short notice? What took them so long to announce it?

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Probably wasn't organised until relatively recently.

 

Doubt anyone expected them to be doing arenas outside the UK...!

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