Shropshire Star

Top 90s bands S Club, 5ive and East17 in line-up for Telford 50th celebrations

A concert by some of the most popular bands of the 1990s and a trip millions of years into the past will add to an already stellar line-up of events for Telford’s 50th anniversary celebrations, its council leader has said.

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Telford Town park will be at the centre of the 50th anniversary celebrations and events that are being organised

East 17, 5ive and S Club will perform together at Telford’s temporary Big Top Theatre on August 15 to mark the anniversary of both the town and of Oakengates Theatre. Tickets will start from £18.

Families will also get to come face-to-face with another set of familiar retro names during the celebrations – tyrannosaurus rex, triceratops, giraffatitan, microraptor and segnosaurus.

Dinosaur World will take place during the day on August 7 and 8, giving children the chance to discover a prehistoric world, brought to life in Telford.

S Club stars party on

There was a time when there was no party like an S Club party. It’s impossible to have been alive in the late 90s and not remember the familiar hits of Tina Barrett, Paul Cattermole, Rachel Stevens, Jo O’Meara, Hannah Spearritt, Bradley McIntosh and Jon Lee. Jo, Bradley and Tina now tour as S Club, S Club 3 or S Club Party.

5ive just Keep On Movin’

Comedian Russell Brand was one of 3,000 people to audition when they were opened for 5ive. Organised as a male alternative to the Spice Girls, Sean Conlon, Ritchie Neville, Abz Love, Scott Robinson and Jason “J” Brown sold 1.6 million copies of their albums. As of 2018, 5ive is made up of Sean Conlon, Ritchie Neville, and Scott Robinson.

East 17 are still alright

The original bad boys of the 90s pop scene, East 17 had a very different image than their rivals Take That. Blending pop and hip hop, the band split in 1999 but not before selling 18 million albums. In the years since, the band has frequently reunited in various forms. They are hot off a tour with B*Witched and Atomic Kitten.

Councillor Shaun Davies, leader of Telford & Wrekin Council, said: “We already have a very strong programme of events which has been further bolstered by the announcement of these two acts.

“There will be more to follow and it is our aim that the Big Top will have something for everyone as we celebrate both Telford’s and the theatre’s 50th birthdays.” The two new shows add to an already packed fortnight of music and comedy.

Opera superstar Russell Watson is among the headline guests set to visit Telford in the summer.

The tenor will perform on August 4, followed by a performance of Scheherazade and 1,001 Nights the following evening. On August 6 there will be a Sounds of the 60s show, with a Supersonic 70s concert taking place on August 7.

Dara O Briain is expected to fill the QEII Fields when he performs on August 8, followed by an 80s Mania show on August 9. Boyzlife, made up of Westlife’s Brian McFadden and Boyzone’s Keith Duffy, will perform on August 10.

Collabro round out the announced shows and will perform on August 16.

For more information or to book tickets for any of the shows visit theplacetelford.com