S Club pay moving tribute to Paul Cattermole as they open reunion tour

Paul Cattermole, Rachel Stevens, Jon Lee, Jo O'Meara, Hannah Spearritt, Tina Barrett and Bradley McIntosh of S Club 7 attend the announcement of their S Club 7 Reunited reunion tour at Soho Hotel on February 14, 2023 in London, England. Photo / Getty Images

S Club paid a sweet tribute to late band member and friend Paul Cattermole as they opened their Good Times Tour in Manchester on Thursday night.

The band, which comprises Tina Barrett, Jon Lee, Bradley McIntosh, Jo O’Meara and Rachel Stevens, took to the stage at the AO Arena for their 25th-anniversary tour.

After singing hits Don’t Stop Moving and You’re My Number One, the band walked off of the stage and the lights went low, reports Daily Mail.

A video montage of Cattermole was played on the big screens to honour the singer, who passed away of natural causes in April this year.

Old clips of Cattermole performing his favourite song The Good Times silenced the crowd and filled the arena with sadness and nostalgia.

After the tribute, Lee returned to the stage, shouting: “Manchester, let me hear you raise the roof one last time for Paul!”

S Club performs on stage at the AO Arena in Manchester during the first night of their reunion tour. Photo / Getty Images

As S Club walked down the stairs, McIntosh said in a trembling voice: “Wow, that’s our brother right there, man.”

“Gone, but you will never be forgotten. We miss you every single day.”

Each member of the group took a moment to pay tribute to Cattermole.

O’Meara said: “Thank you all so much. All the messages and love and support that you’ve all [shown] us and Paul’s family - we are so grateful to every single one of you.

“I would just love to see every single one of you in here right now show us your hearts for our Paul!”

Bradley McIntosh of S Club performs on stage at the AO Arena in Manchester. Photo / Getty Images

Lee said: “Thank you so much. It’s very special for us this evening, obviously. We dedicate this performance to Paul and the British Heart Foundation.”

Barrett said: “Tonight is a celebration, so let’s Bring It All Back for Paul!”

S Club then performed the song they wrote in memory of the star - These Are The Days.

Paul Cattermole and fellow bandmate Hannah Spearritt pictured performing with pop group S Club 7 on stage at Wembley Arena in London on February 14, 2002. Photo / AP

Barrett introduced the song, saying: “For 20 years now, people have been asking me, ‘When are you guys going to release new music?’ So we thought this year, let’s do it.”

McIntosh added: “And we did. We dedicated this song to Paul and all of the memories we shared.”

Cattermole passed away at the age of 46 from “multiple heart issues”, just a few months before the band was set to head on a reunion tour.

The singer’s body was discovered on April 6 in his flat in Wareham, Dorset.