There ain’t no party like an S Club party and that certainly seemed to be the case as they brought the house down at Sheffield’s Motorpoint Arena. The final show in their Bring It All Back tour, S Club 7 finished their big reunion with a bang and more than a few tears. A nostalgic showcase of the group’s greatest hits, the audience happily got carried away on the sometimes emotional trip down memory lane. The performance from S Club 7 was spectacular, set against a backdrop of photos and video montages from the good old days. Costume changes, a sparkling set and more special effects than you could shake a stick at ensured the show was a real celebration of S Club 7’s time in the spotlight. Nostalgia is big business nowadays and there’s no doubting that for many bands it is a big fat cheque which lures them back onto the stage rather than a desperate urge to revisit the musical back catalogue. However, in fairness to S Club 7, all seven members seemed to genuinely want to be there and their joy in reliving the past was infectious. And the concert was more than just a rehash of old performances. The songs and dance routines had been updated with an edgier and more urban feel to them. As well as the old favourites, there were a few surprises including a solo acoustic version of Reach by a slightly worse-for-wear Paul Cattermole – as well as the expected all-singing, all-dancing version later in the show – and Bradley McIntosh singing Uptown Funk to rapturous applause. But like all good parties, the smartest guests were those who were fashionably late. The support acts – a cringeworthy DJ playing dance music to make your ears bleed and A J Lehrman, a clean-cut Justin Bieber wannabe who seemed just a little eager to please – went down like a lead balloon. Perhaps they should have tried to reform S Club Juniors instead.
– TheStar