S Club 7 announce reunion as music nostalgia set to reign in 2023; other old school acts to see in this year

We first reported about talk of an S Club 7 reunion in early January, and we feel vindicated that the pop group has announced their official live return! The group, featuring Rachel Stevens, Hannah Spearritt and (thankfully) Jo O’Meara, made the announcement on BBC One’s The One Show on Monday evening.

The reunion is set to celebrate 25 years since the group first appeared on our screens in the CBBC series Miami 7; that show following the budding careers of seven wannabe pop stars presented a platform for the group to crossover between television and music - a feat attempted in years prior by boy-band North and South (and their CBBC series, No Sweat.)

In a statement released by the band, S Club 7 wrote “It feels amazing to announce that we're reuniting and performing together again," the band said in a statement. "We're so excited to bring the S Club party back to our fans across the country to celebrate 25 years of S Club 7.”

"We can't even believe it's been so long. Music and friendship have always been at the core of everything that we've ever done. We hope everyone can join us for one big party."

The reunion marks the first time the band will perform in their original incarnation, not seen since the medley they performed at 2014’s Children in Need telethon. With a vast number of earworms including Don’t Stop Moving, Bring It All Back and S Club Party, expect to be humming those melodies ahead of their 11-date reunion tour from October 13 2023, starting in Liverpool.

But for those that crave a little bit more nostalgia, 2023 seems to be the year of musical throwbacks in the world of pop, Britpop, classic rock and even a touch of that ‘80s punk scene that was revisited after the death of Vivienne Westwood. Peopleworld takes a look at five concerts in 2023 to nourish that old-school appetite

Sugababes

Having won the rights back to their name after going by the monicker Mutya Keisha Siobhán, the three original members of pop group Sugababes celebrated getting their monicker back by announcing they would not only be supporting Take That during their BST Hyde Park performance but would undertake a tour of the UK and Ireland themselves in mid-2023.

The shows also include a homecoming performance of sorts, at the threesome is set to headline London’s The O2 on September 15 2023. Tickets for all their performances can be purchased through Ticketmaster.

Siouxsie Sioux

An iconic part of the late ‘70s punk scene in London, Siouxsie Sioux was an integral part of what journalists dubbed the Bromley Contingent; a group of younger punk fans devoted to anarchists Sex Pistols during their subsequent rise to infamy. Sioux however was also a musician in her own right, with many fondly recalling her first single, Hong Kong Garden, and instantly falling in love with the part-punk, part-New Wave act.

Those fans were left speechless when Siouxsie Sioux and the Banshees were confirmed to be performing at the 2023 Latitude Festival, taking place from July 20 - 24 2023. Sioux, real name Susan Ballion, then went one better and announced a headline show at The Civic Halls in Wolverhampton on June 21 2023.

Tickets for Latitude Festival are still available, as are tickets to the Wolverhampton show - for now.

The Strokes

London festival All Points East is fast becoming one of the most exciting music festivals to emanate out of the capital, and along with the series of BST Hyde Park performances later in 2023 (which include Take That and our selection below) is once again making London a lucrative hotspot for big musical performances.

Not content with announcing a day solely dedicated to grime superstar Stormzy, All Points East topped that by announcing the return of garage-rock revivalists The Strokes. Viewed by many as part of the US garage rock invasion of the UK in the early part of the ‘00s, alternative music fans will remember the ubiquity of the group after the release of their debut, Is This It in 2001, and crooning along the Julian Casablancas’ singing with hits Last Night.

Tickets for All Points East are still available - bonus nostalgia points are also rewarded to the festival organisers for bringing disco-punk act Yeah Yeah Yeahs to the festival also, making some of us feel decidedly older looking back at our university years…

Bruce Springsteen

The Boss and the E Street Band will finally make their way back to the UK this summer, with Bruce Springsteen announced much earlier in 2023 as one of the performers involved in the London-curated BST Hyde Park events. The concert, part of 31 European tour dates Springsteen is set to perform, marks the first time the hallowed American singer/songwriter has performed in the UK since 2016.

Bruce Springsteen is set to perform on July 6 and July 8 2023, but the bad news is that tickets through BST Hyde Park have sold out a while ago…

Take That

It wouldn’t be a British trip down memory lane without mentioning Take That; almost as big as The Beatles during the height of their fame, leading to escalated calls to Samaritans after the announcement of their break up in February 1996.

Though perhaps not at the level of Siouxsie Sioux or S Club 7 announcing their live return, there is always an element of pageantry when Take That gets back together for live performances, either with or without Robbie (or any other member “too busy”.) They will be performing at BST Hyde Park on July 1 2023, with support from The Script and Sugababes - and some tickets are still available as of writing.

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