There ain’t no party like an S Club party, as Tina, Jon and Bradley tell us ahead of their Metro Radio Arena gig. S Club 7 are at the Metro Radio Arena in Newcastle this weekend as part of their comeback Bring It All Back tour. The group, who had a string of hits in the early Noughties with the likes of Don’t Stop Movin’, Bring It All Back, Never Had A Dream Come True and Reach, are promising a show to remember. After all, there ain’t no party like an S Club Party! Today, three of the seven – Jon, Tina and Bradley – reminisce to What’s On about the old days and about the here and now.

Jon
“To be honest it’s been much nicer doing it this time around as it’s been a lot more relaxed. When we were younger we were filming TV shows, flying all over the world and doing albums and tours at the same time whereas now we can focus on one thing, the tour, and we are all involved in the creative process. So it’s been a much nicer process for all of us, definitely. It’s exciting. You are very lucky to get the chance to do it the first time round and on the level we did it and to be as successful as we were. But 12 years later to be given another chance to do it again is amazing. We are all a bit older and wiser and have our own ideas of how we want it to look and sound and we all get on great as we always have done. The seven brains together can bring something special. We want to throw ourselves 100% into this tour and make it the best we have ever done.”

Tina
“It’s going to be all the hits and more. We’re so excited as we’ve got more control this time and we are very involved from the front of house to on-stage so it’s our baby and we’re super excited and raring to go. It’s been a long time coming and the fans’ support has just been incredible. It’s blown us away really. I’m the oldest of the seven. I’ve always been quite mature. I’ve got two different sides. Everyone was so strong in their personalities I don’t think anyone needed a mother figure. If I tried to do that they would have told me to get lost. Even though our ages spanned from 15 to 21, we were all still very young and it was the first time for all of us these things we were experiencing. This time around we know what we are doing and know who we are as grown-ups and performers. It feels a lot better and the older you get the more comfortable you feel in your own skin. Back them I was insecure about the most ridiculous things. You have to have thick skin. We’ve done our time and now we can enjoy it. As a family, this is the best we have ever got on. Everyone just gets it now. We’ve seen each other at our best and our worst. We are all emotionally aware of each other.”

Bradley
“I’m not the greatest at the whole Twitter thing or Instagram, but as soon as we came on stage at Children In Need, for half an hour my Twitter feed was going mental. It’s good to see instant direct feedback from your fans. Lots of nostalgia and great memories. Fun, friendly, family, cheesy music and it has brought back a lot of memories for the fans. Personally I feel I have grown a lot more and have more of an understanding of the industry and the business. When you are young you just go along for the ride. I was overwhelmed, as a kid straight out of high school, with all this attention and television and fame. Now, since we split, I have had a lot of time to mature and learn about the world. But the passion has come back. I have simplified what it is all about. It’s not about the fame, it’s about what music means to me and music is my passion. Once an entertainer, always an entertainer. You have to be mentally strong. Not everybody is built for this industry. But we all supported each other through it all and we had our families for support too.”