ShareS Club performing their The Good Times Tour at The Motorpoint Arena Nottingham on Tuesday 24th October 2023.
Images and Review by Kevin Cooper
S Club were at the Motorpoint Arena on Tuesday night for their 25th anniversary comeback tour, and whilst it was meant to be a tour that saw all seven original members reunite on stage for the first time in eight years, the sudden death of Paul Cattermole earlier this year and with Hannah Spearitt leaving the group, they came back as S Club Five.
Stepping out in bright colourful outfits they started with S Club Party which saw the sold out crowd immediately on their feet. Having racked up eleven UK top ten singles between 1999 and 2003, most of them were given an airing. Jo, Rachel, Bradley, Tina and Jon delivered a set list that was full of nostalgia and fun.
They made sure that the bangers kept coming in quick succession with the often and undeservedly overlooked Love Ain’t Gonna Wait For You. Rachel Stevens got her chance to shine on Natural and the karaoke ready ballad Have You Ever went down a storm. There was the shimmering 60s pastiches You’re My Number One, You and the undeniable disco anthem, Don’t Stop Moving.
There were a few fan favourite album tracks including Tina’s spotlight grabbing Stronger. Sunshine with Jon on lead vocals and Good Times, with the latter providing the foundation for an emotional tribute to Paul. Main set closer Reach garnered one of the biggest roars of appreciation from the crowd whilst encore songs Never Had A Dream Come True and a remixed version of S Club Party had the crowd dancing.
S Club had given their all, certainly helped by the thousands of fans singing along to every word, but the choreographed dance moves seemed a little old school. The stage was cheap and cheerful by modern pop show standards and the pre-recorded visuals playing on the screen behind them were pretty perfunctory. But whether this tour is a final hurrah or the start of something bigger, S Club remains to be seen because as they say, there still isn’t a party like an S Club party.
