S Club 7 have announced they are reuniting for a UK tour later this year in celebration of their 25th anniversary.
The seven-piece pop group were originally created by former Spice Girls manager Simon Fuller in 1998 and produced hits including Reach, Don't Stop Movin' and their debut Bring It All Back. In 2003 they disbanded but briefly came back together in 2014 to perform a medley of their best-known songs for BBC Children In Need.
Their new UK and Ireland arena reunion tour will see the original seven members - Rachel Stevens, Bradley McIntosh, Hannah Spearritt, Jo O'Meara, Jon Lee, Paul Cattermole and Tina Barrett - back on the road together. The band said: "After eight years it feels amazing to announce we're reuniting and performing together again."
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They added: "We're so excited to bring the S Club party back to our fans across the country to celebrate 25 years of S Club 7. We can't even believe it's been so long. Music and friendship have always been at the core of everything that we've ever done. We hope everyone can join us for one big party."
They will open their 11-date tour on October 13 in Liverpool's M&S Bank Arena before continuing to cities including Dublin, Glasgow, Newcastle and Manchester. The O2 in London will be the last stop on the tour on October 28.
Appearing on BBC's The One Show after the announcement, singer McIntosh revealed the tour will have a nostalgic feeling to it. he said: "Obviously we're bringing the late 90s/early noughties. So it's a lot of fun. Our music is very positive and I think in today's times you need a bit of positive, you need to be picking up so that's what we're here to do."
The group confirmed everyone had immediately agreed to reunite as it "felt like the right time" for them. They said they were most excited to perform their hit Reach on the tour but added that they were open to fans contacting them through social media to request what songs they would like to hear during the shows.
During their five years together they produced four studio albums with their debut, S Club, launching in 1999. They followed this up with the chart-topper 7 in 2000, Sunshine in 2001 and Seeing Double in 2002.
The group also achieved number one status on a number of tracks including Never Had A Dream Come True and Have You Ever. They also cemented their fame after starring in their own BBC TV series Miami 7 and LA 7.
After they called it a day, band members went on to explore other pursuits, with Stevens launching a solo music career and competing on Strictly Come Dancing and Dancing On Ice. Spearritt became a TV actress, with roles in shows such as ITV's Primeval, and Lee has performed in West End shows including Les Miserables and Jersey Boys.
McIntosh, O'Meara and Cattermole later became members of the spin-off group S Club Allstars, previously S Club 3, with Barrett joining them in 2014. O'Meara, who also released solo music and appeared on Celebrity Big Brother in 2007, has gone through a number of back operations in recent years.
She confirmed on The One Show she feels "ready" to get back on stage, adding: "I'm doing physio. I'm allowed to swim now so I'm just starting to get my back stronger but I will definitely be there on that stage. 100%."
Get your tickets for S Club 7 here.
When do tickets for the S Club 7 reunion tour go on sale?
Tickets will go on sale on Friday, February 17 at 10am. Prices start at £39.48 and can be bought on the M&S Bank Arena website.
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