S Club 7 have said they will continue with their forthcoming tour of the UK and Ireland after the death of Paul Cattermole in April and the subsequent departure of Hannah Spearritt.
In an emotional video posted to Instagram, the remaining five-piece, officially known as S Club, said the tour would be renamed Good Times in tribute to Cattermole, who sang lead vocals on the song.
The band members paid tribute to their late bandmate, who died on 6 April, with Bradley McIntosh saying they were in “disbelief” about losing their “big brother”. “No one could ever replace our Paul, but he lives on inside each and every one of us,” he said.
Rachel Stevens said: “He’s always going to be with us. He was such a big part of this tour, so involved in everything that we are planning. And we are just going to keep his memory alive and share it with all of you and it’s going to make it even more special.”
Jon Lee added: “You’ve probably noticed that there’s only five of us here today, and although Hannah will always be part of S Club 7 she won’t be joining us on this tour. We wish her all the best for the future. However, the five of us are really excited and geared up.”
The Guardian has contacted representatives for Spearritt for comment.
In April, Spearritt paid tribute to Cattermole in an interview with the Sun. The pair were previously in a romantic relationship during the band’s 00s heyday – with Spearritt describing Cattermole as her “first love” – and subsequently for a period around 2015.
“I am grateful to have had that time with him, to make peace with each other,” Spearritt said. “Because I know that’s all we both ever wanted. To have had that opportunity to see him, and to see him well, unfortunately, he didn’t get to do the tour. He was just so excited for the tour.”
After Cattermole’s death in April, the band released a statement describing themselves as “truly devastated by the passing of our brother Paul. There are no words to describe the deep sadness and loss we all feel. We were so lucky to have had him in our lives and are thankful for the amazing memories we have.”
The Good Times tour commences in October. It was to be the first time that all seven members of the teen-pop band had shared a stage in eight years. S Club 7 were formed by the former Spice Girls manager Simon Fuller in 1997 and launched via the CBBC show Miami 7 in 1999. They released four albums and achieved four UK No 1 singles.
