‘It’s going to feel like Paul is there with us’: S Club’s Jo and Jon on ‘emotional’ start of comeback tour in Manchester

When S Club 7 last performed in Manchester eight years ago, all seven members finished up the show with a rousing sing-a-long of their legendary hit Don’t Stop Movin’ in front of tens of thousands of devoted fans.

Sadly, it would be the last time all seven members would be on stage in Manchester together. Paul Cattermole, who was a part of the band from its inception in 1998 up until 2002, sadly passed away from underlying heart conditions just months after the band announced plans for their comeback tour earlier this year.

Following his tragic passing, fellow bandmate later Hannah Spearritt announced she would no longer be taking part in the 14-date tour, which will kick off in Manchester at the AO Arena on October 12 (tickets here) before returning to the city for a sold out show on October 21.

Speaking to the M.E.N ahead of the tour, members Jo O’Meara and Jon Lee said the band's initial plans for how the show was going to look have now been scrapped altogether in order to turn the tour into a celebration of Paul’s life and the ‘good times’ the band shared over the years.

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“We’re going to be honouring Paul throughout the entire tour,” Jo, 44, explains of the upcoming five-piece show. “Renaming it the Good Times tour was just a no-brainer for us and It just seemed like the right thing for us to do.

“Paul was going to sing that song on the tour - he had it all planned out how he was going to perform it with his guitar. It is just the ideal name for the tour.

“S Club has always been about positivity and being upbeat so it’s going to be more about celebrating Paul’s life in a really uplifting way but it is definitely going to