“The first time it was amazing, but we didn’t really get to experience it for the mind-blowing thing it actually is, so this time we’re making sure we’re going to have fun with it”
Reunited boyband Five walked into the cavernous space of Manchester’s AO Arena on Tuesday knowing that later this year it will be full of screaming fans delighted at their comeback. And seeing the huge 23,000 seater venue took them back to their last appearance here as a five.
That was back in 1999 – and as the lads agree, Manchester has long had a special place in the annals of Five’s extraordinary pop story. Surveying the arena, bandmate Ritchie Neville recalls: “We actually shot the We Will Rock You crowd shots here in Manchester at that gig in ’99.”
Sean Conlon adds: “Back in the day and this is a genuine thing, we’ve always had this connection with Manchester, I don’t know why, they seem to like us here. I’d say they’re mad for it, can we say that?” He grins.
Last week, all five original bandmates – Ritchie, Jason “J” Brown, Abz Love, Scott Robinson and Sean Conlon – announced their reunion to much excitement from fans of the band that first blasted onto the pop scene back in 1997.
Reunited boyband Five chat Manchester and ‘extravaganza’ to come
They went on to sell more than 20 million records worldwide and are the only UK act to hit the Top 10 with all of their 11 singles, although the fractures in the band began to show from 2001 onwards.
This year marks 25 years since they last performed together as a five, and now the rebooted Five are determined to make the most of their band experience on their return. Their time as a five in the 1990s was tumlutuous, and some of the band members hadn’t spoken to each other in a decade.
The lads reveal that the reunion has been gestating now for some time – since 18 months ago to be exact when Scott decided to make a fateful call to Abz. Scott said: “For me it was about reconnecting with four people I hadn’t seen in a very long time. And it had been too long – I hadn’t seen Abz for a long time. I always hovvered over his number in my phone and thought I should make that call.
“So one day I phoned, he answered and we had a beautiful conversation, we hadn’t spoken for ten years, it wasn’t about a reunion or a tour, it was just to talk. “
Sean adds: “It was the same for me and J, we hadn’t spoken. It was always in our chest that we hadn’t spoken.” He looks visibly moved as he thinks about their reunion as he says: “We have to be careful because we’ve been crying a lot, we’re full of emotion. When we started reconnecting, it’s been a positive process since that day.”
The five bandmates would have secret meetings hiring Airbnb properties so they wouldn’t be seen. Scott said: “We all met at the Airbnb, we turned up and hugged straight away, the connection was there instantaneously.
“We laughed, had a few beers, then had a few more. We had a really, really nice time. It wasn’t until after a few times after we met that we thought, hang about, we could do something here.
“Offers [to tour] were always there, people have always wanted to do it, we feel very lucky, but now we have an amazing team around us.”
With fellow 90s icons Oasis reuniting this year, I ask whether the Gallagher brothers burying the hatchet inspired their own reunion. Ritchie said: “It wasn’t that necessarily Oasis have done it, we could do it, but I do think it’s the year that lads are back.”
The lads are clearly full of energy, mischief and excitement for the shows ahead, which start in Brighton on October 31 and brings them to Manchester’s AO Arena on November 7. Tickets for the shows go on sale this Friday [March 7] with an expected ticket-buying frenzy among fans.
“We’re going to put on an extravaganza,” said Scott.
The five all joke they’ve got plans to put Scott in a cannon and shoot him out across the arenas. Abz quipped: “Whoever catches him, gets a free t-shirt.” Playing along, Scott said: “I’m really excited about it because I’m a big Arsenal fan, so shoot me out of that cannon.”
They collapse in giggles and I say it’s nice to see them all having fun with it. After the whirlwind of 90s fame, they’re also heeding the lessons from last time around.
J said: “That was our full intention this time, fully embrace it and have the best time we can with it. The first time it was amazing, but we didn’t really get to experience it for the mind-blowing thing it actually is, so this time we’re making sure we’re going to have fun with it, we’ve got different scheduling so that we can have time to appreciate what we’re doing, it’s going to be a completely different thing.”
Scott added: “We’re going to look after each other as well, that’s what we didn’t do back then, we’ve got an amazing team looking after us.” Never far from a joke J added: “Yes, we’ll even put a packed lunch with him when we put him in the cannon and shoot him out the roof on his way home.”
The band, now in their 30s and 40s have also been joking in interviews that they might need medical assistance backstage these days after they bust their iconic dance moves on the reunion tour. J quipping: “That’s our rider these days, oxygen tank, paramedics, sick buckets.”
But Ritchie confirmed: “We’re fit as a fiddle and ready to go.” J added: “We’re coming into this with a lot of energy. There only has to be one little spark and we all go into stupid mode.”
As for their 90s outfits, we sadly may not see their return in the new shows. Scott said: “I’m not going to be in the full leather jacket, sorry to get you excited, but the clothes are so much better now.”
Sean said: “A lot of things were right in the 90s, but the clothes weren’t one of them.” Ritchie musing: “They felt good at the time though.”
Talking of their wild past, they recalled one incident where J shotgunned a can of lager and hit his head on railings. And J said: “I remember after the show at a hotel in Manchester, it got quite raucous in the bar, me and a pal were up on part of the bar semi-naked, I think it was our bottom half. This was a tame night as well.”
Sean said: “I had a high anxiety about that. You was worrying me..” with Jay laughing: “And now it will allll happen again.” “You’re worrying me again,” said Sean.
Can we expect those five bad boys to rock us, as their famous song Slam Dunk (Da Funk) trilled this time around? Ritchie said: “We’re going to be nice to people. This time I’m going to keep it really mellow, bleh bleh bleh, but then you come off stage and the adrenalin from stage and you do think ‘give me some beer’.
“We’re going to smooth some of the edges,” said Abz.
“Yeah we don’t want to get cancelled on day one do we,” laughed Scott.
Five play Manchester’s AO Arena on November 7, and tickets go on sale from Friday, March 7 with all details here.
