S Club, formerly known as S Club 7, are a British pop group formed in 1998 by Simon Fuller after he was fired as manager of the Spice Girls.[1] Original members were Tina Barrett, Paul Cattermole, Jon Lee, Bradley McIntosh, Jo O'Meara, Hannah Spearritt and Rachel Stevens. Cattermole left the group in 2002; it disbanded in 2003. After the members performed solo and in smaller groups, the group reunited temporarily for a short tour in 2015. In 2023, the group reunited and announced a tour; however, Cattermole died of heart failure and Spearritt withdrew from the group before the tour.
The band has sold more than 10 million albums worldwide.[2] They won Brit Awards in 2000 for British breakthrough act and in 2002 for best British single. In 2001, they earned the Record of the Year award.
According to the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), the group has been certified for sales of 2.8 million albums and 4.6 million singles in the UK.[3]
History
1997–1998: Formation
S Club 7 were formed by Simon Fuller, after he was fired as manager of the Spice Girls in November 1997.[4] He described S Club 7 as a continuation of ideas he had had for the Spice Girls, but with a softer, more uplifting image and the same songwriting team was used for both acts.[5]
Fuller placed an advert in The Stage[6] and held auditions with more than 10,000 applicants.[7] Both Jo O'Meara and Paul Cattermole were spotted by producers from Fuller's company, 19 Management, and asked to audition.[8]Rachel Stevens was the only member who did not audition; instead, two producers approached her and asked her to record a demo tape.[8] According to journalist Steven Poole, after Fuller's disagreements with the Spice Girls, he picked "the blandest, most malleable characters ... nice kids who wouldn't answer back".[9]
Once the lineup was decided, the members flew to Italy to become acquainted with each other.[10] Stevens remarked that the group "felt comfortable with each other from the beginning".[10] Several members of the group said that the "S" in S Club 7 stands for Simon, after the group's creator, although the official explanation of the meaning has always been ambiguous.[11] At one point they were nearly called "Sugar Club" instead of the name that stuck.[12] Another theory is that the group is so-named because "S" is the first letter of the word "seven". McIntosh, in a December 2012 interview, said a lot of Fuller's success has been based on the number 19 (owning 19 Entertainment); therefore as "S" is the 19th letter of the alphabet, the "S" was put into S Club 7.[13]
1999–2000: Debut and success
S Club 7 rose to fame in a children's television series, Miami 7, first broadcast on CBBC between April and July 1999.[14][15] The members played fictional versions of themselves and went on adventures and performed a song in each episode.[14][15] In the US, the show was renamed S Club 7 in Miami and broadcast on Fox Family.[15] By 2000, it had been sold to 100 countries and viewed by 90 million people.[16] The use of the television show to publicise the group was likened to the Monkees.[17][18][19]
In February 2000, S Club 7 won for British Breakthrough Act award at the 2000 BRIT Awards.[25][26]Hasbro announced a licensing deal to create S Club 7 dolls.[27] In April 2000, S Club's second television series, L.A. 7 (renamed S Club 7 in L.A. in the US), began airing.[28][29] Later that year, S Club 7 starred in the television series S Club 7 Go Wild!, in which they travelled the world raising awareness of endangered species.[15][30] "Reach", another retro-styled uptempo track, was released as a single in May 2000 and reached number two on the UK charts.[21]
S Club 7's second album, 7, was released on 12 June 2000. It reached number one in the UK charts[16][21] and was certified triple platinum in the UK[20][31] and gold in the US.[32] The second single from the album, "Natural", reached number three in September 2000.[21]
That October, S Club 7 launched the annual Poppy Appeal campaign with Dame Thora Hird.[33][34] Alongside numerous other artists, they contributed vocals to a cover of the Rolling Stones song "It's Only Rock 'N' Roll" for Children's Promise, an alliance of seven children's charities.[citation needed] It entered the UK charts at number nineteen.[35] In November 2000, S Club 7 recorded the ballad "Never Had a Dream Come True", the year's official song for the Children in Need charity campaign, which became a number one in the UK and a top-ten hit in the US.[15][21]
S Club 7 released their third studio album, Sunshine, on 26 November 2001. The lead single, "Don't Stop Movin'", released in April 2001, marked a more sophisticated sound, likened to the 1983 Michael Jackson song "Billie Jean".[36] It reached number one,[21] went platinum[20] and became the seventh-best-selling single of 2001.[37] It won The Record of the Year[38] and earned S Club 7 their second BRIT Award, this time for best British single.[39] S Club 7 donated more than £200,000 to Children in Need after it reached number one.[40]
On 20 March 2001, Cattermole, Lee and McIntosh were caught with cannabis in Covent Garden, London. They were cautioned by police at Charing Cross Police Station and released without charge.[42] They released an apology through their publicity firm.[43][44]BT and Cadbury, who had sponsorship deals with S Club 7, said they were "disappointed" but kept their contracts with the group,[43] while the Quaker Oats Company ended talks with 19 Entertainment.[45]Pepsi signed a sponsorship deal with S Club 7 within a month of the caution.[46][47] PMS, a merchandising company, sued the group for £800,000, claiming that the drugs scandal ruined its sales.[48]
After spending most of early 2001 rehearsing, the S Club Party 2001 tour began on 19 May 2001.[8] Once the tour was over, the group flew to the United States to film the third series of their television show Hollywood 7.[8] The group had to continuously cope with intense schedules and early starts whilst filming for the programme.[8]
Cattermole and Spearritt began dating in 2001 and were in a relationship until 2008.[49] The relationship was kept secret for the first six months. Cattermole later said it had been "forced" by management and did not happen "organically", as their romance had been written into Hollywood 7.[50]Hollywood 7 aired alongside a new CBBC reality show, S Club Search, which invited children to extend the S Club brand and audition to form a younger version of the group. The new group were to be chosen to sing with S Club 7 on Children in Need 2001 and to tour with them on their future S Club 7 Carnival 2002 tour.[51] The winning children formed a new group, S Club Juniors, and had six top-ten UK hits.[52][53][54]
In November, they recorded a second Children in Need single, "Have You Ever", co-written by Chris Braide and Cathy Dennis. The performance on the night featured many primary school children who had pre-recorded their own versions of the chorus, including the first television appearance by S Club Juniors.[55] The single became the S Club 7's fourth number one[21] and the 21st-biggest-selling single of 2001.[37]
2002: Cattermole's departure
In January 2002, S Club 7 embarked upon their second arena tour.[56]
The third single from Sunshine, "You", reached number two in the UK.[21] The group was disappointed by the choice of single, as they had hoped to continue the more contemporary sound established by "Don't Stop Movin'". Cattermole said later that they had "wanted to be perceived as cool since the very beginning" but that their management had "taken it away".[36]
In 2002, Cattermole left S Club 7 to rejoin his school metal band, Skua.[49] He later described frustration with the S Club 7 management, and said that "things were being handled so badly, I had to go".[36] Cattermole stayed with S Club 7 until June 2002, featuring in four episodes of their final television series, Viva S Club. His final concert before his departure was Party at the Palace, part of Queen Elizabeth II's Golden Jubilee celebrations.[57] Skua failed to secure a record deal.[36]
After Cattermole's departure, the group was renamed S Club. The remaining members re-signed their deal with Fuller and their record company.[58] "Alive", S Club's first single without Cattermole, reached number five on the UK Singles Chart,[21] and their fourth album, Seeing Double, reached number 17.[21] O'Meara announced that she would step back from performing for the remainder of the year due to a back condition.[59][60]
In April 2003, S Club released their first feature film, Seeing Double, a children'sfantasy, in which the group fought the evil scientist Victor Gaghan in his quest to clone the world's pop stars. The film's release was marred by rumours that the group were about to split, which they denied.[61][62]
According to Spearritt, of the €75 million the group had made for Fuller, whilst the members had received €150,000 each a year. The group members travelled economy on flights and prepared their own food and laundry when working abroad. Spearritt's parents reportedly hired lawyers to collect payments owed to them by Fuller and his management company.[63][64]
Ten days after the release of Seeing Double, during their S Club United tour on 21 April 2003, S Club announced on stage that they were breaking up.[59] They cited a mutual split, saying it was time "to move on and to face new challenges".[59] Spearritt said that "she and her fellow bandmates wanted to do their own thing".[65] Fans expressed anger after S Club had denied rumours of a split only weeks prior.[66] Their final single was a double A-side, coupling "Love Ain't Gonna Wait for You", from their fourth album Seeing Double, with a new ballad, "Say Goodbye", released on 26 May, which reached number two in the UK.[21] On 2 June, a greatest hits album, Best: The Greatest Hits of S Club 7, was released, containing the previously unreleased track, "Everybody Get Pumped". It reached number two in the United Kingdom.[21]
2003–2008: Solo projects
In 2003, Stevens signed a £1.5 million four-album deal with Polydor and Fuller.[67][68] Her debut solo album, Funky Dory, reached number nine on the UK Albums Chart and was certified gold.[69]
In January 2007, O'Meara joined the fifth series of the British reality television show Celebrity Big Brother, broadcast on Channel 4. She and other contestants Danielle Lloyd and Jade Goody were accused of making racist and bullying comments about the Indian contestant Shilpa Shetty, including saying that Indians were thin because they were "sick all the time" as a result of undercooking their food. The incident drew record numbers of viewer complaints and international media coverage.[71][72] After leaving the show, O'Meara denied that she was racist and said that the show's editing had misconstrued her behaviour.[73]
In 2008, O'Meara, Cattermole and McIntosh began performing at British nightclubs, universities and holiday camps as S Club 3, joined occasionally by other former members.[70][36] Cattermole later declared bankruptcy and sold his 2000 BRIT Award at auction.[49] He worked various other jobs, such as a community radio manager and as a psychic.[49]
2014–2015: Reunion
On 14 November 2014, S Club 7 reunited for a BBC Children in Need telethon, performing a medley of "S Club Party", "Reach", "Bring It All Back" and "Don't Stop Movin'".[74][75][76][77]
On 28 April 2015, S Club 7 reissued Best: The Greatest Hits of S Club 7, with a previously unreleased song, "Rain", as well as "Friday Night" from the S Club album.[78][79] In May, S Club 7 performed in UK arenas on the Bring It All Back 2015 tour.[80][81] By December 2017, the group had reverted to a trio once more and released the single, "Family".[82]
In 2019, Cattermole said that Fuller, not the group members, had been signed to Polydor as S Club 7. The members were merely affiliates and received "pittance" from merchandise.[36][83] In January 2023, Spearritt said she had been forced into homelessness, living in four temporary homes over a six-month period.[84][63] She said that people wrongly assumed the members of S Club 7 were millionaires, and that they had not been on a good wage compared to the modern music industry.[85]
2023–present: Second reunion and death of Cattermole
On 13 February 2023, S Club 7 announced on The One Show that they would reunite for a two-week 25th-anniversary tour that October.[86][87] On 6 April, at age 46, Cattermole died of several heart conditions: cardiac arrhythmia, acute myocardial ischemia and severe coronary artery atheroma and intraplaque haemorrhage.[88][89] Following his death, Best: The Greatest Hits of S Club 7 reached number seven on the Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100.[90] On 14 May, the group announced they had (for a second time) changed their name to S Club and that Spearritt would not join them on their coming tour, which they would honour as the Good Times Tour as a tribute to Cattermole.[91][92] Though Lee said Spearritt remained a member of the group, other sources reported that she had left.[93] On 30 June "Don't Stop Movin'" entered the vinyl charts at number one.[94]
On 26 July, S Club released their first new single in more than 20 years, "These Are the Days", in memory of Cattermole. It was written and produced by S Club's original songwriting team; Barrett described it as "a nod to our old sound". Spearritt did not take part, saying she was still too upset by Cattermole's death.[95][96][97][98][99]
The group partnered with the British Heart Foundation to raise awareness of heart conditions and raise funds for research.[100][101] The Good Times Tour began on 12 October at the Manchester Arena, with the group paying tribute to Cattermole. A review noted that the members may have been lip syncing during some of their UK tour performances.[102] The group also announced their first ever North American tour as a second leg of their Good Times tour.[103][104][105][106][107]
On 7 March 2024, a new version of the song, "Good Times" featuring McIntosh and Lee on lead vocals, was released on digital platforms in honour of Cattermole's birthday.[111]
Musical style
The style of music S Club 7 has is usually pop, or more specifically bubblegum pop. Their first two singles had vocals shared equally amongst the seven members of the group, and it was not until their third single, "Two in a Million", that O'Meara became known as their lead vocalist. Although the band were to progressively change their style over the four years they were together, even their first album had many tracks atypical of the pop genre: "You're My Number One" and "Everybody Wants Ya" were Motown-driven, whereas "Viva La Fiesta" and "It's a Feel Good Thing" were both bouncy, salsa-driven Latino songs. Over the years their style and direction changed progressively with each new album. Their second album 7 had songs with styles that somewhat opposed the traditional pop songs that rival pop bands of the nineties were releasing. With the release of "Natural" in 2000, S Club 7 showcased a new R&B-lite sound. The release of their third album, Sunshine, gave audiences their biggest change: the album contained tracks such as the disco-influenced "Don't Stop Movin'" and the R&B ballad "Show Me Your Colours". The album marked a more mature approach for the band. After the departure of Cattermole, S Club released their fourth and final album, Seeing Double, including the single "Alive", which was called a power-packed dance floor filler. The single has a style similar to that of their final single, "Love Ain't Gonna Wait for You". The album contained dance tracks that varied from their original bubblegum pop stylings, such as the sex for the CBBC generation on "Hey Kitty Kitty".
A reviewer for The Guardian, referring to "Gangsta Love", said "S Club's spiritual home is the suburban disco, not urban underground clubs, and their attempt to go garage on "Gangsta Love" ends up amusing rather than authentic".[112]
^ abS Club 7 (22 November 1999). S Club 7: It's an S Club Thing (VHS documentary). Warner Music Vision. Event occurs at 04:15, 04:54, 05:20, 13:00, 15:30.
