S Club 7 have shared an emotional video updating fans on their touring plans after the death of bandmate Paul Cattermole.
The group shared a video thanking fans for all their support and giving an update on their 25th anniversary reunion tour, which begins here in Manchester this autumn.
Notably absent from the video was Hannah Spearritt, who they confirmed has stepped back from the huge tour in light of the tragic news.
But the remaining five members of the pop group, visibly tearful, confirmed that they would be continuing with the live shows in Paul’s memory.
S Club 7 also announced that their tour would be rebranded to The Good Times tour in his honour.
In the video shared by Jon Lee, Jo O’Meara, Rachel Stevens, Tina Barrett and Bradley McIntosh, the group paid tribute to their late friend.
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Jon said: “Sorry it’s been a while since you’ve heard from us, but in all honesty we’ve been in a bit of shock and it’s taken a while for us to find the right words to describe how we feel about losing our brother Paul.”
Rachel added: “Just taking the time to process and get our heads around it all, and also taking time to share time together so that we can remember Paul and all the memories that we had together.”
A tearful Jo O’MearaThe remaining members held each other tightly in the video
Tina said: “It’s just really sad. It’s really really hard to process it right now.”
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Bradley then added: “We’re all in still in so much disbelief. Paul was a big brother to us, all of us, and even you guys out there. He truly was a unique specimen of human being. No one could ever ever replace our Paul. But he lives on inside each and every one of us.”
Jo said through her tears: “Whenever Paul would walk into the room, you definitely knew that he was there, because he would just light it up with humour and love and… just a really special person. That’s it.”
Moving on to the S Club 7 tour updates, Jon said: “You’ve probably noticed that there’s only five of us here today, and although Hannah will always be a part of S Club 7, she won’t be joining us on this tour. But we wish her all the best for the future.
“However the five of us are really excited and geared up to crack on. It’s gonna be our tribute to Paul. So we are actually renaming the tour, The Good Times tour, which is the song that Paul was going to sing- sorry.”
At this point he chokes up and stops speaking, but Tina steps in and continues: “Yeah we’re calling the tour The Good Times tour in tribute to Paul, because that was his song and all the fans know that that was his song. It just feels right.”
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“He’s always going to be with us,” Rachel said. “He was such a huge part of this tour, so involved in everything that we are planning. We’re just going to keep his memory alive and share it with all of you, and it’s gonna make it even more special.”
Jo finished: “Thank you to all the fans out there that have sent so many beautiful messages to us all. We’ll see you all really soon guys.”
Tickets for S Club 7’s tour are on sale now with See Tickets. They will perform at the AO Arena in Manchester on 12 October and 21 October.
Hilary Duff announces massive Manchester gig on first world tour in nearly 20 years
Danny Jones
Noughties throwback, Hilary Duff, is continuing her contemporary comeback trail by announcing a brand-new world tour, including a massive arena gig right here in Manchester.
That’s right, Lizzie McGuire herself is returning to the UK with new music.
In all seriousness, child star Hilary Duff has gone on to have quite the career, but it feels like it’s been forever since we’ve had fresh music from her, which is why her next album and huge run of tour dates around the globe feels like such a big deal.
Ahead of her sixth studio release, lucky… or something, dropping this month, the American popstar has now confirmed nearly 50 upcoming dates in support of the record; she also still managed to give us a very Disney Channel reveal video.
Yes, heading out on the road across North America, Europe, the UK and Ireland, as well as Australia and New Zealand, Hilary Duff has announced a total of 47 gigs so far.
With no other live shows confirmed in mainland Europe yet, Great British and Irish fans can be glad of the five shows locked in for the UK leg.
Having said that, with the 38-year-old enjoying a real renaissance of late, we wouldn’t be surprised to see more added to the newly confirmed ‘lucky me’ tour.
As mentioned, with her latest LP scheduled to launch on 20 February, we got her most recent track just a few short weeks ago.
Following the lead single from the project, ‘Mature’ – also released this past November 2 – you can see the music video for her ‘Roommates’ down below.
The song is also produced by her husband, Matthew Koma.
This newest outing is the first Hilary Duff album in over a decade, following 2015’s Breathe In. Breathe Out; it’ll also be nearly two of them since her last world tour, having last played Manchester all the way back in 2007.
As for her shows, following a number of performances in late 2025 and this year already, she’ll be playing throughout the calendar and well into early 2027.
You can see the rest of the European tour dates thus far down below.
Hilary Duff UK and IE tour dates – September ’26
6 – Dublin, IE – 3Arena
8 – Cardiff, UK – Utilita Arena Cardiff
10 – London, UK – The O2
Thursday, 12 – Manchester, UK – AO Arena
13 – Glasgow, UK – OVO Hydro
For tickets to see her here in Manchester at the end of this summer, early access can be enjoyed by Three mobile members from 10am on Tuesday, 17 February, or via the venue’s own presale window from the same time next Thursday, 19 Feb.
As for general admission, tickets will then go live at 10 the following Friday (20 Feb), and you can get ready to grab yours HERE.
SING TO ME PAOLO! 🎤🛵💅
Superstar @HilaryDuff brings 'the lucky me tour' to Manchester!
Featured Images — Press shots (supplied via AO Arena)
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Gig Review | Mika shines at the AO Arena in Manchester on the first night of his world tour
Aimee Woodcock
Mika’s Manchester stop on his ‘Spinning Out’ global tour was a vibrant, high-energy celebration of all things pop.
Not happy with just walking on stage – this is Mika we’re talking about – he made his entrance on a spinning hamster wheel, bathing the AO Arena in kaleidoscopic lights.
Opening with ‘Modern Times’ and ‘Eleven’ from his latest discography before leaning into one of the classics, ‘Relax, Take it Easy’, the atmosphere inside the packed arena felt charged.
His stamina was something that stood out from the get-go, delivering every track with that signature Mika flair, accompanied by choreography and a live band that matched his energy – no mean feat.
The production leaned heavily into colour and movement, with swirling visuals and playful stage design that mirrored the tour’s theme of motion and momentum with nods to themes of LGBTQ+ rights.
Working through this current album, and after a quick outfit change, we were treated to an a cappella intro to another classic, ‘Lollipop’ with Mika dressed in a full pink suit (and shoes).
Between songs, Mika’s easy rapport with the crowd added warmth and intimacy to the arena-sized performance.
He shared anecdotes and playful banter, encouraging the crowd to sing along, uniting the fans.
Highlights included a rendition of ‘Grace Kelly’, which sparked one of the loudest reactions of the night, and a heartfelt performance of his more reflective ‘Happy Ending’ offered a welcome contrast to the glittering pop anthems.
Daisy Jackson -
15th May 2023 
