S Club pay moving tribute to Paul Cattermole as they kick off reunion tour
S Club paid a moving tribute to their friend and band member, Paul Cattermole, when they kicked off their reunion tour on Thursday.
Paul was tragically found dead in his home in Dorset on 6 April, aged 46, weeks after announcing he was rejoining the much-loved pop band. Fans were left heartbroken over the news, but Tina Barrett, Jon Lee, Bradley McIntosh, Jo O'Meara and Rachel Stevens made sure the star was remembered when they took to the stage at the AO Arena in Manchester for their 25th-anniversary tour.
(Corinne Cumming 2023)After classics including Don’t Stop Moving, the band left the stage and the lights dipped. Video footage of Paul then appeared on the big screens in honour of the singer, who died of heart-related issues. Clips of him performing his favourite track, The Good Times, silenced the crowd, who were overwhelmed with emotion.
Running back onto the stage after the tribute, Jon, 41, said: "Manchester, let me hear you raise the roof one last time for Paul!" Bradley, 42, whose voice was trembling, added: "'Wow that’s our brother right there man. Gone but you will never be forgotten. We miss you every single day."
Jo, 44, said: "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. I would just love to see every single one of you in here right now to show us your hearts for our Paul!"
S Club 7 enjoy mini reunion at the Brit Awards ahead of band's big announcement
S Club 7 paid a moving tribute to their friend and band member, Paul Cattermole, when they kicked off their reunion tour (PA)Also thanking the crowd, Jon said: "Thank you so much. It’s very special for us this evening obviously. We dedicate this performance to Paul and The British Heart Foundation."
As a further tribute to the singer, the band performed the song they wrote in memory of the star - These Are The Days. Introducing the track, Tina said: "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." Bradley added: "And we did. We dedicated this song to Paul and all of the memories we shared."
The band dedicated their performance to Paul (PA)S Club star Hannah Spearitt, who dated Paul from 2001 to 2006, did not perform with the band after pulling out of the reunion a month after the singer's death. Jon said at the time: "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."
Explaining her decision to leave the band was to protect her health after she struggled to cope with the Paul's passing, she writes in her memoir, Facing The Music: “I was extremely excited — we all were — to get back as a seven. But then Paul died and everything changed. It gave me time to reflect on whether it was the right thing for me to do. I hadn’t been in the best of health — I’ve got a compromised immune system and stress makes it worse. My body just couldn’t cope with everything that was happening. I wasn’t myself."
Hannah added: "Will I ever perform with them again? I just don't know. I'm glad that the tour is still going ahead and the songs will live on, but now I'm looking forward, not backwards."
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