One of the most popular British pop groups of all time are coming back to America with a new reunion tour, new music and a newfound perspective on their more-than two decades of success.
S Club (formerly known as S Club 7) bring their “Good Times Tour” to North America this winter, kicking off February 16 in Toronto before making their way to Boston, New York, Chicago and Los Angeles (find tickets on Ticketmaster or sites like VividSeats.com).
Now using the moniker “S Club,” following the sudden passing of original member Paul Cattermole in April and Hannah Spearritt’s departure from the group, Tina Barrett, Jon Lee, Bradley McIntosh, Jo O’Meara and Rachel Stevens say their “Good Times Tour” is meant to pay tribute to the group’s enduring legion of fans, while also paying tribute to Cattermole’s memory.
The new tour also helps to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the group, which was formed in 1998 in the UK and crossed over to the U.S. with their hit TV shows, S Club Miami 7 and S Club 7 in L.A. (which aired on Fox Family and Nickelodeon) and songs like “Never Heard a Dream Come True” (which reached No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart). Following a string of sold-out arena dates back home and the release of a new single titled “These Are the Days,” the five members of S Club head to North America for their first-ever stateside tour — the first time the group has been in the U.S. in more than a decade.
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Rolling Stone caught up with Barrett, Mcintosh, O’Meara and Stevens (Lee was unavailable on the day) to chat about reuniting for the new tour, favorite memories of filming their TV show in America, and why the “S Club Party” isn’t stopping anytime soon.
You all just finished the UK run of your “Good Times” reunion tour. What was it like being back together again?
Stevens: It’s just been incredible. You know, we were celebrating 25 years, and the love from our fans has been so amazing. We’ve had so many people coming from all over the world, and it’s just been such a celebration of nostalgia for all of us.
Barrett: I think we appreciate it more — I know I definitely do. Because when you’re young, it’s all very manic and you’re in this sort of bubble and you don’t think about it too much. Whereas now, we can actually appreciate it — and each other — for how amazing this is.
Mcintosh: I’d say personally, this has been my most favorite tour out of all the tours we’ve done. Obviously we miss Paul and Hannah, but everything about this tour, from the visuals to the choreography to the styling is incredible.
S Club reunited in 2015 for the “Bring It All Back” tour. Whose idea was it to come back together this time around?
Mcintosh: I believe it was Simon Fuller, our manager. He emailed us around the end of 2020 and just said, ‘Hey guys, your 25th anniversary is approaching? How do you fancy doing a 25-year anniversary tour?’ And no one was in doubt. Everybody was just like, ‘Yes! Absolutely!’
Had you all kept in touch over the years?
O’Meara: We have always kept in touch, but often like passing ships in the night. I think there’s something about all of us that we’re always going to be connected in one way or another, but the second that we were all back together in the room, it was like no time had passed. We just automatically clicked straight back into that dynamic that we’ve always had, which is something really special. And yeah, it’s always very loud. And a lot of fun.
Stevens: It’s been really special coming back together. As you know, a lot of us have got kids now, and it’s been really lovely coming back and sort of getting to know each other again, but as grownups and in different stages of our lives.
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You’re officially touring the U.S. for the first time, but you spent many years here filming your TV shows and doing promotional spots. What do you remember about being here?
Stevens: I mean, we probably spent more time in America than we did in the UK, starting off in Miami, and then filming two series in LA. We were up at the crack of dawn, we’d finish as the sun was going down, and we’d sometimes do night shoots too. I just remember how delirious we all were when it got so late and we’d just start laughing and having so much fun.
O’Meara: Me and Rachel did a lot of shopping.
Stevens: We did a lot of shopping. The shopping was good in L.A.
Mcintosh: Where did you guys do your shopping the most? I was in the Beverly Center quite a lot.
Stevens: I loved The Grove. The Grove was like my happy place.
Barrett: I remember we went to Gucci on Rodeo Drive, and we spent an absolute fortune. I was like, ‘Let’s just buy something really, really expensive and then don’t panic.’
What did you buy?
I got a pair of boots that were like, ridiculously expensive. I think they were like, two-grand back then or something.. whoops. But they looked great. I still have them by the way.
Bradley, I heard you love American food?
Mcintosh: I’m just a foodie in general. But I’m definitely hitting Roscoe’s [Chicken & Waffles], that’s for sure. I hope it’s still as good as it used to be. I was dating a girl back then, and she took me to Roscoe’s one day and it was mind blowing. What else did I like? Carl’s Jr. They had this sourdough burger with Swiss cheese and I loved that [laughs]. I’m scared to go back [to America]. I’ve lost all this weight and I’m scared I’m gonna come back a stone heavier.
All four of you have kids now. What do they think of seeing ‘mommy’ and ‘daddy’ up on stage?
Stevens: We actually had our kids join one of the London shows, which was so special. You know, all our kids are kind of in the same [age] range and they all came on stage with us. I think they had a great time and were excited to be a part of it.
A lot of fans grew up listening to S Club 7 as kids — what do your kids listen to these days?
O’Meara: My son actually really shocks me. He’s got really unusual musical tastes. He listens to really old-school singers.
Mcintosh: I can imagine that.
Barrett: He’s like you — an old soul.
O’Meara: Yeah, he’s an old soul. He’ll listen to jazz, he loves Amy Winehouse, he’ll be listening to Frank Sinatra, but then he really loves the rapper, Dave.
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Your reunion tour sold out in the UK and tickets are moving quickly for the North American dates. Why do you think people are still connecting with S Club so much?
Stevens: There are so many incredible pop artists out there, but I think what did separate us from everyone was our music — it was so positive and all about lifting each other up. What was so special about meeting all of our fans this time around, is that they were kids and now they’re all grown up. And they tell us that we helped them through some really hard times in their lives; we were such a positive outlet. And I think we are all about kindness and love and fun and energy and positivity. And that’s quite rare.
O’Meara: That’s the thing — there aren’t a lot of bands that sort of do that anymore. Maybe like —
Barrett: I think maybe like Harry Styles and Taylor Swift? I think they are quite positive people. I also really wanted to get Taylor Swift tickets but because we literally were also touring, we didn’t get a chance.
Ahead of your North American dates, what can fans expect from the show and what do you hope they take away from it?
Barrett: It really takes you on a journey. We’ve got the fun and energy and sort of like a club concept, but then quite a bit of the show is for Paul as well. It’s a a tribute to Paul. So it’s a real journey. And it’s so special.
(In an email, Lee adds, “Paul was and will always be part of S Club – he was so funny, crazy, loving and a great friend- and that spirit pretty much sums up the vibe of the tour. It’s what S Club is all about.”)
O’Meara: I think the main thing we would love for people to take away from this show is that feeling of escapism. So many fans come up to us and say, ‘You helped me through a really tough time, or ‘You helped me come out,’ and so it will be really lovely for them to walk out and get that warm sense of belonging.
Mcintosh: It’s incredible that our fans were really young when we first came out. And now that they brought their kids along, I got a few comments and messages from people saying, ‘It was so nice to bring my daughter along or my son along, and now they’re big fans of your music.’ So you know, we’re reaching out to a new generation.
O’Meara: We’re excited. To have the opportunity to actually tour one of the biggest places in the world is incredible. I think every English band’s dream is to go and tour America. So the fact that we get to do it 25 years later, is quite unbelievable.