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.
Oasis, Joy Division and New Order named as 2026 inductees into world-famous Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Emily Sergeant
It’s official – three of Manchester’s most iconic bands are joining history.
That’s because it’s been announced today that both Oasis, and Joy Division/New Order (as one act) are being inducted into the world-famous Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as part of the 2026 cohort, which is not only a huge deal for the bands individually, but also for our city’s music legacy.
It would not be an understatement to say that these past few years have been some of the biggest in Oasis‘ career, given the fact that they played all across the world 2025 on what is one of the biggest reunion tours of all time – including five nostalgia-drenched gigs in Manchester’s Heaton Park last summer.
But despite everything they’ve done over the past three decades, this could still be one of the iconic Manchester band’s greatest achievements.
Announcing Oasis’ induction this week, a statement on the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame website reads: “Oasis are one of the most successful and influential acts of all time. Exploding out of the 1990s UK music scene, they reclaimed big, brash, hook-filled rock & roll with their anthemic sound, cool swagger, expertly crafted lyrics, and electrifying live performances – eventually selling over a hundred million records.
“Their songs have become England’s go-to anthems, sung in unison by fans at sporting events and social gatherings and inspiring countless bands.”
The Gallagher brothers reunion last year was also noted by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as being one of the key reasons for their induction, proving that the band’s influence ‘remains as strong as ever’.
I wanna thank all the people who voted for us it’s a real honour ever since I was a little kid and singing in the shower I’d dream about 1 day being in the RnR hall of fame it’s true what they say anything is possible if you have a dream LG x
It’s not just celebration for Oasis, of course, as two of Manchester’s other most revered bands, Joy Division and New Order, have also been chosen as 2026 inductees into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
A statement on the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame website about Joy Division and New Order’s joint induction reads: “Joy Division and New Order were postpunk pioneers and electronic dance-floor innovators, inspiring thousands of bands and becoming a beacon for millions of listeners.
“Spearheading the late 1970s Manchester music scene, their story is a remarkable tale of revolution, metamorphosis, and influence.
“Their dark and droning transmissions ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’ and ‘Blue Monday’ were foundational to both dance music and alternative rock, and they still resonate deeply with outsiders and adventurous souls.
“They were innovative musicians who created something revolutionary and massively influential – not once, but twice.”
The 2026 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held on 14 November at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.
Featured Image – Jill Furmanovsky (Publicity Picture)
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Morrissey claims sole credit for The Smiths’ iconic Salford Lads’ Club photo shoot idea
Danny Jones
Morrissey is once again raising the issue of credit and disputes over The Smiths’ legacy, as the controversial former frontman has now claimed that their iconic photo shoot outside of Salford Lads’ Club was entirely his idea.
The 66-year-old lead singer turned solo star from Urmston is no stranger to sparking debates and attracting controversy, and it seems his latest is to do with one of the most iconic images in British music history, let alone just Greater Manchester.
The Davyhulme-born bard and divisive artist goes on to claim that the other co-founding members of the iconic Manc band initially viewed as more of his “lunacy” – the suggestion seemingly being (as it often is with Morrissey) that they simply didn’t understand the ‘genius’ at the time.
Many of his most die-hard fans still believe that most don’t and never will.
He even jokes that, in another life, it could very well have been something entirely different and random, such as the Kellogg’s factory in Trafford, basically suggesting that other members would have simply followed suit.
In his words, he argues that “now millions of people come from all over the world to be photographed on that very spot, it is claimed as a Smiths idea. It wasn’t, it isn’t, and it never shall be.”
Once again, this is by no means the first time he’s called into question, ‘who did what’ and/or who owns what bit of intellectual property; in fact, there was apparently another one of these instances with Johnny Marr only recently.
‘Moz’ and Marr have been at loggerheads pretty much ever since the group disbanded back in 1987, and still look to be far away from seeing eye to eye on virtually anything.
Daisy Jackson -
15th May 2023 
