S Club remembered late band member Paul Cattermole as the Good Times reunion tour got underway (Picture: REX / PA)
S Club paid tribute to their late friend and bandmate Paul Cattermole as they kickstarted their reunion tour in Manchester.
The group, now made up of Tina Barrett, Jon Lee, Bradley McIntosh, Jo O’Meara and Rachel Stevens, made sure to remember Cattermole on Wednesday night as their 25th anniversary Good Times reunion tour got underway at the AO Arena.
The Reach hitmakers were back together on stage for the first time since he died of natural causes aged of 46 in April, and they took a moment to pay their respects.
As reported by the MailOnline, the band left the stage partway through the set as the lights dimmed and a video montage of their friend appeared on the screen, featuring footage of him performing with the group.
Returning to the stage after the powerful and emotional moment, Jon said: ‘Manchester, let me hear you raise the roof one last time for Paul!’
‘Wow that’s our brother right there man,’ Bradley added. ‘Gone but you will never be forgotten. We miss you every single day.’
S Club paid tribute to their late friend at the AO Arena in Manchester (Picture: Peter Byrne/PA Wire)
Tina Barrett, Jon Lee, Bradley McIntosh, Jo O’Meara and Rachel Stevens took to the stage for the first night on the road (Picture: Peter Byrne/PA Wire)
It was an emotional night for the band and their fans (Picture: Peter Byrne/PA Wire)
Through the show, each member of the group – who are also without former bandmate Hannah Spearritt for the tour after she decided against being part of the reunion after her ex’s death – took the time to offer their own tributes to Cattermole.
‘Thank you all so much. All the messages and love and support that you’ve all showed of us and Paul’s family – we are so grateful to every single one of you,’ Jo told the crowd.
‘I would just love to see every single one of you in here right now to show us your hearts for our Paul!’
Cattermole and Hannah Spearritt had been due to be part of the reunion tour (Picture: Dave J. Hogan/Getty Images For XIX Management)
As S Club 7, the band were a real force in the charts (Picture: Ilpo Musto/Shutterstock)
Tina said: ‘Tonight is a celebration, so let’s Bring It On Back for Paul!’
And Jon added: ‘Thank you so much. It’s very special for us this evening obviously. we dedicate this performance to Paul and The British Heart Foundation.’
The band also performed their latest single These Are The Days in his memory, having started work on the track before his death.
‘For twenty years now people have been asking me – when are you guys going to release new music? So we thought this year, let’s do it,’ Tina explained to the crowd, while Bradley added: ‘And we did. We dedicated this song to Paul and all of the memories we shared.’
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The night marked the band’s first gig with Jon and Rachel since May 2015, and the band got the night started with S Club Party before launching into a hit-filled set including Good Times, You’re My Number One and Never Had A Dream Come True.
For the last track of the night, the group went back to S Club Party to bring the celebratory night to an joyous end.
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MORE : S Club 7’s Tina Barrett saw ‘different side’ to Paul Cattermole in ‘beautiful’ moment
The Reach pop icons remembered their late friend.