October 28, 2023
The O2, London
It’s no secret that S Club’s journey back to the stage has been a turbulent one, but where many would put their hands up and surrender the group reached for the stars and delivered a characteristically vibrant show for the final of three stops at The O2.
Taking to the stage in bold, colourful numbers, Jo O’Meara, Jon lee, Rachel Stevens, Bradley McIntosh and Tina Barrett kicked off their ‘Good Times Tour’ by declaring ’There ain’t no party like an S Club party’ – and although they gave nothing by halves, it was a bittersweet affair.
With the absence of the late Paul Cattermole and Hannah Spearritt – who departed the group shortly after his passing – the rap that names all of the original band members was noticeably removed from the song, marking the beginning of a new chapter for S Club.
The first half of the show saw the group power through singles like Love Ain’t Gonna Wait For You, You’re My Number One and Natural, along with album cuts including Sunshine and Bring The House Down, with all five members seemingly delivering live vocals while performing their signature high-energy routines.
Huge screens came adorned with a combination of colourful graphics and archive content from the group’s early TV shows, performances and behind the scenes footage, once again feeding into the nostalgia of the 25th anniversary run, while the first costume change of the night coincided with the title song of the tour, with recorded vocals from Paul filling the venue.
Towards the end of the track the group reemerged on stage, adorned in black outfits, to join their late bandmate one final time and request the crowd “raise the roof one last time for Paul” for what was, by all accounts, a suitably poignant tribute to the singer, who had been set to take part in the shows before his passing.
Despite the tough subject matter, the mood was soon lifted as the five-piece segued into a selection of their biggest hits, starting with Bring It All Back and firing though Have You Ever, Alive – with a brilliant new reworking courtesy of Simon Ellis – and the anthemic Reach, which closed the main portion of the show.
It wasn’t long before they returned, however, this time head-to-toe in silver for the classic Never Had A Dream Come True, bringing the evening to a close with the UK No. 1 and US Top 10 smash, before a reprise of the opening number, one final time.
Eight years since S Club last reconvened, the pop landscape has changed dramatically and contemporaries of the group such as Steps have carved a niche for themselves with new music and sell-out arena runs. Understandably, S Club’s latest venture didn’t pan out how they expected and, in spite of that, they still put on a strong show, with new song These Are The Days a crowd-pleasing highlight for fans hungry for new music.
If they plan to continue after this nostalgia trip, the band needs to pick up where they left off and get back to recording – the show is proof they’ve still got it, now they just need to deliver the goods.
