Music
S Club get ready to kick start huge reunion tour right here in Manchester
The tour kicks off in Manchester on October 12th, with a second Manchester date on the 21st
As fans across the UK get ready to see their all-time favourites S Club reunite for a tour kicking off in Manchester, we chat with Jo O’Meara about what it’s like to be back.
It’s been what feels like a lifetime since S Club (then known as S Club 7) were blasting through the radio waves, with young kids and teeny boppers copying their dance moves and learning all their lyrics.
After two decades away, Bradley, Jo, Jon, Rachel and Tina are now ready to take the stage together and bring absolutely all of it back to you.
On what it’s like to be back, Jo tells us: “Oh, do you know what, it’s been lovely, It’s been so nice to be back together. It’s always nice to get back with S Club.”
The group formed in 1998 under former Spice Girls manager Simon Fuller and took the world by storm.
Jo says it was Fuller’s idea to go on tour again, and upon hearing it she said it was a ‘no-brainer’ for her and an immediate ‘yes’.
She explained: “He got in touch with us because obviously it was our 25th anniversary, and he said, ‘how do you guys feel about celebrating it and doing a tour?’
“We just all went, ‘absolutely’, and it was kind of a no-brainer. So yeah, we’re just so excited.”
The Good Times Tour marks 25 years since the band first formed and is a tribute to late band member Paul Cattermole by taking the name of an S Club song – a big fan favourite – on which he sang lead vocals.
Over the years the band have kept in touch ‘loosely’, communicating by text. It’s no surprise, as for a number of years they spent most days together, intensely, as bandmates, friends and even as a kind of family.
The band have also been through a lot together, and although they’ve got their own lives separate from S Club, there’ll likely always be times they will keep in touch with each other.
Jo continues: “I think we all kind of drift in and out of each other’s lives whether we’re together or we’re not together because we’ve all been such a big part of each other’s lives for so many years now. It’s just a very natural thing to do.”
On meeting up as a group again, Jo says it feels ‘just like yesterday’. She goes on: “No time passes, it’s really, really bizarre. We might not see each other for five, or eight, or 10 years even and the second we’re all in the same room it’s like we never left.”
Collectively, S Club amassed four UK number one singles with ‘Bring It All Back’, ‘Never Had a Dream Come True’, ‘Don’t Stop Movin’, and ‘Have You Ever’, as well as the UK number one album ‘7’.
They recorded four studio albums, released 11 singles that all entered the Top Five UK charts, and went on to sell over 10 million albums worldwide.
With four multi-platinum selling albums, two BRIT Awards, and nine number-one international hit singles to their name, S Club is a household name that is once again ready to rise.
The pop group have also released a new single called These Are The Days written by the band’s original number one hit songwriting team of Cathy Dennis, Simon Ellis, Johanne Ellis and producer John Nathaniel.
The track pays tribute to their former friend and beloved S Club member Paul with a moving film story that ends with S Club revealed as the five-piece pop act that they are today.
About their comeback single, Jo said: “These Are The Days was actually a song that was written for us about 20 years ago, but it wasn’t the right song for us back then.
“But the song came around this time and it was just the perfect song.”
“Cathy Dennis got involved and changed some of the lyrics and it’s a nod to the past and it’s a nod to where we’ve been and obviously, it’s a tribute for Paul but in a really positive and upbeat way because I think that’s what S Club has always represented; positivity and making people smile,” she continued.
“I don’t think we could have picked a better song to come back with as our first single.”
About touring in Manchester, Jo said she is hoping for some time off in the city so she can go shopping – but she’s also looking forward to performing for a Mancunian audience.
“I think what I love about Manchester is that it is very loud. Everyone’s up for a good time and out to let their hair down, get dressed up and go and have fun,” she added.
On her best memories of S Club, Jo recalls: “The Brit Awards will always be a big one. For me personally, it was when we did the Queen’s Golden Jubilee. We got to perform Don’t Stop Movin on stage.
“I think we had like Phil Collins, we had Brian May playing the guitar – I was just looking around at these absolutely massive icons. I’m also a big fan of the Beach Boys.”
About the future of S Club and what they have in store, Jo added that ‘the sky’s the limit’ and the band will ‘see what the fans want’, but she said, ‘there’s definitely going to be more music’.
With The Good Times Tour now just around the corner, Jo said she’s nervous but excited to be back on stage with S Club, doing their thing again, adding: “It’s all becoming very real all of a sudden. Because, I feel like we’ve talked about it for so long and now it’s like, just a matter of weeks away.”
You can grab your tickets for the tour HERE.
S Club: The Good Times Tour UK 2023 dates are:
Oct 12th Manchester AO Arena
Oct 13th Liverpool M&S Bank Arena
Oct 14th Sheffield Utilita Arena
1Oct 16th Dublin 3Arena
Oct 18th Glasgow OVO Hydro
Oct 19th Newcastle Utilita Arena
Oct 20th Leeds First Direct Arena
Oct 21st Manchester AO Arena
Oct 23rd Cardiff International Arena
Oct 24th Nottingham Motorpoint Arena
Oct 26th Birmingham Utilita Arena Birmingham
Oct 27th London The O2
Oct 28th London The O2 Matinee
Oct 28th London The O2
Oct 29th Birmingham Utilita Arena Birmingham
Co-op Live has been open for six months now, and to celebrate its unique partnership with the venue and mark the occasion, the Co-op has enlisted John Cooper Clarke to create a special poem.
The Bard of Salford himself, a literal living legend and walking archive of rock ‘n’ roll history, has penned a poem titled ‘Proper Sound’.
It’s an ode to the Co-op and its namesake venue, and their special place in our city past and present.
JCC says that he ‘wanted to work in some historical perspective of the Co-op itself’ because it was an important part of his neighbourhood as a child.
And from those days of ‘outdoor bogs’, to the present day and beyond, that’s exactly what he’s done, weaving together personal nostalgia and civic pride, via pea soup and K-Pop.
Clarke has also recently announced a brand new UK tour for next year: In Celebration of World Poetry Day.
John will return to the stage for three shows, starting at The London Palladium on March 19th, before heading to Nottingham’s Royal Concert Hall on March 21st and ending at Co-op Live on March 29th for a huge homecoming show.
The Salford born entertainer will become the first-ever poet to headline an arena in the UK.
Co-op Live
From classic numbers like Chickentown and Beasley Street to brand new material from the new collection ‘WHAT’, John will bring his unique perspective and incredible work to his biggest audiences yet.
He’ll also be joined by special guests on each night of the tour, with John Agard in London, Henry Normal in Nottingham and Linkton Kewesi Johnson in Manchester.
Tickets go on general sale on Friday October 18th at 10am.
Co-op members can get access to a special ticket pre-sale for the Manchester show on Wednesday October 16th at 10am, become a member HERE.
Music
Liam Gallagher reveals son Gene’s band to open for him on Definitely Maybe anniversary tour
He revealed the news responding to a fan on social media – as you do!
Liam Gallagher has said his son Gene and his band Villanelle will support him on his upcoming Definitely Maybe anniversary tour.
The indie-rocker took to X (formerly Twitter) to reply to a fan who said they like Gene’s band and asked what Liam thought of them.
In his response, Liam said he thinks the band are ‘good’ and announced they will be ‘first on’ for his Definitely Maybe tour.
Gene, 22, is Liam’s youngest son and is the frontman and guitarist for the recently formed band Villanelle.
The band is set to hit the UK festival scene this summer, releasing their new music along the way, and will also be first up to support LG alongside the likes of music legends including Cast and The View.
Although the newbies haven’t officially released any tracks just yet, they have recently been spotted supporting Brummie band the Overpass on tour, and performed at King Tut’s in Glasgow on March 21st.
Clips online hint that Gene will most likely take after his dad and go on to create some classic British indie-rock tunes.
Aside from the upcoming Definitely Maybe 30th anniversary tour, Liam has a big year and is currently touring with John Squire, formerly of the Stone Roses, to support their joint, self-titled album. The pair performed live at Manchester Apollo last month and reviews are looking pretty positive for these two rock legends.
Liam will be coming to Manchester’s brand-new Co-op Live arena on his Definitely Maybe 30th anniversary tour on June 15th and 16th, with a final Manchester date on June 27th.
It’s not clear which tour dates Gene will be supporting his dad on but we look forward to seeing him live.
Music
Liam Gallagher says Noel ‘turned down’ reunion for Definitely Maybe tour
There’s no sign of them burying the hatchet yet
Liam Gallagher claims he asked Noel to reunite for the Definitely Maybe 30th Anniversary tour later this year but that he ‘refused’.
The former Oasis frontman shared details of his upcoming tour – to celebrate 30 years of Oasis’ seminal 1994 album – back in October.
So, a solo Liam will play their iconic debut album in full, including tracks ‘Live Forever’, ‘Supersonic’, ‘Slide Away’ and ‘Cigarettes & Alcohol’.
The indie-rocker also teased he’ll be playing ‘naughty’ B-sides from the era.
He’ll be kicking off the 12-date tour in Sheffield on June 2nd, heading to Cardiff for a night, then onto London for four, followed by three dates in his native Manchester at the Co-op Live arena.
From there, Liam will play two dates in Glasgow and two in Dublin, before heading back to Manchester for the finale.
Speaking to MOJO recently, Liam said that his brother refused to put aside their differences and join him on the 30th anniversary tour. He said: “Noel? He ain’t f**king doing it.”
“I did call him! Well, my people called Noel’s management team,” he told the publication.
“We put an offer on the table for an Oasis thing – because we got offered it – and he said no. It was a big tour, a lot of money. He turned it down. I get it, he’s got a divorce going down. I’ll do the ‘Definitely Maybe’ thing and have a nice time without him.”
On whether next year could see the feuding pair finally make amends and reunite for the anniversary of second album ‘(What’s the Story) Morning Glory?’, Liam said: “It’s down to the universe. It’ll happen when it happens, it’s not in our hands anymore.”
Either way, it seems Liam is up for the tour with or without him as he added: “Me, I love nostalgia though. I’m doing the lot. Every album, even… what was the last one?”
It’s not the first time Liam has claimed his estranged brother has turned down his offer to get back together.
Back in October, a fan asked whether he’d give us the surprise of joining him on the DM tour, to which Liam responded: “He’s been asked and he’s refused.”
It comes after Noel told talkSport radio back in May that he was ‘open to a phone call’ from Liam but said that he wouldn’t dare and accused him of being a ‘coward’.
He continued: “He doesn’t have to speak to me. He won’t speak to me, he’s a coward. So he should get some of his people, his agent, to call my people and say, ‘Look, this is what we’re thinking.’ And then we’ll have a conversation about it. Until then, he’s being a little bit disingenuous.”
He added that Liam is guilty of getting ‘people’s hopes up’ with his post on social media.
But Liam hit back with a string of posts on social media saying it wasn’t true and that Noel just ‘hates Oasis fans’.
The band parted ways in 2009 and ever since, the bickering brothers have exchanged spats publicly while being asked about whether a reunion may be on the cards one day.
Regarding the 30th Anniversary of Definitely Maybe, Noel confirmed in April last year that an Oasis reunion would not be happening any time soon but did confirm plans of a reissue of the record to mark the occasion.
The singer-songwriter also added that there had ‘never really been a serious offer about ‘The Big O’ getting back together’.
Earlier this year, as he reflected on their split, Liam accused Noel of throwing him ‘under the f**king bus’ at the time.
Liam is now focusing his attention on his much anticipated collaborative, self-titled album with Stone Roses guitarist John Squires, which is out on March 1st. The pair will also announce details of an upcoming tour.
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