FEATURE:
5 Become 4
IN THIS PHOTO: The Spice Girls (BACK: Geri Horner (née Horner, ‘Ginger Spice’) and Emma Bunton (‘Baby Spice’)/FRONT: Melanie Brown (‘Scary Spice’); Melanie Chisholm (‘Sporty Spice’); Victoria Beckham (née Adams, ‘Posh Spice’)/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images
Can the Spice Girls Create the Same Magic Without a ‘Posh’ Icon?
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WHETHER you are a big Spice Girls fan or not…
you cannot deny that, back in the day, they made an impact on music. I will look at the legacy and music they left us but, imminently, they will be announcing tour dates and locations. It is a rare opportunity for fans to catch the Spice Girls on the stage – 2000’s Forever was their last album as a group and did not feature Geri. There has been talk of a reunion and, in the years since they split, there have been attempts to get them all on the same stage. Apart from an ill-fated Spice Girls musical and some one-off singles/appearances; it has been a quiet time for the band this century. Emma Bunton (Baby Spice) spilled the beans and gave Jamie Theakston the rundown on their Heart radio show regarding the Spice Girls reunion and what we might expect. Check the video out below but there is a lot of excitement brewing and people are excited to see four-fifths of the band on the stage and going around the world – one suspects there will be a lot of international dates and it will be a busy next year for the girls. I am not sure what provoked the decision but there have been rumours for years and there must have been a moment when they all got together and decided the time was now.
The moment we've all been waiting for... @EmmaBunton aka #babyspice discusses the #SpiceGirls reunion!😱 pic.twitter.com/uEDnRobNxy
— Heart (@thisisheart) November 5, 2018
I believe the announcement will be made at 3 P.M. and the reunion tour will not include Posh Spice – Victoria Beckham is not part of the plans but the full reason has not been given. Vogue published a piece earlier today that gave a bit of background:
“The Spice Girls last performed together in 2012 during the Olympics closing ceremony, but they have not toured as a band since 2008. Over the years, Bunton, Beckham, Geri Horner, Melanie C and Melanie B have posted photographs of the fivesome together on social leading fans to predict a sequel to Spice World and new music. Beckham, however, has always vehemently denied plans to reunite. “I’m not going on tour. The girls aren’t going on tour,” she stated during a preview of her autumn/winter 2018 collection. As her former band mates prepare for the demands of stadium life once more, it is assumed that Beckham will concentrate on her burgeoning fashion brand”.
One can look at that explanation of omission – Victoria Beckham concentrating on fashion – but one would assume she could do the both, surely?! Melanie B (Scary Spice) recently sported a Halowe’en outfit of her in a mask of Posh Spice and a bit of a jibe against her decision. Maybe it was playful but one senses there is a bit of animosity and disagreement in the camp that has led to Beckham not being included.
PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images
There are some who feel her omission is a relief. In terms of the band’s best singers, she would be at the bottom of the pile, alas. I am not sure whether the Spice Girls will adopt their nicknames and dress as they did back in the 1990s. One suspects the stage attire will be a bit more refined and 2018 – one cannot imagine Geri Horner in a Union flag dress or Emma Bunton as Baby Spice. I guess, if they are cranking out the old hits, then there needs to be some authenticity and purity. There is a school of thought that suggests a depleted Spice Girls is a bit of a charade. If you have always wanted to see the group get on the stage and perform like they did in their heyday then would a four-piece satisfy you?! Although most of the lead vocals were taken by Melanie C (Sporty Spice) and Melanie B; each member had their place and were all part of the mix. I suppose Baby Spice and Ginger Spice (Geri Horner) did a lot more of the vocal lifting than Posh Spice but that image and iconic line-up is what people want to see! Tickets will be snapped up within a few minutes and many of them will be flogged on resale sites for exorbitant and eye-watering prices.
IN THIS PHOTO: The newest publicity photo of the reunited Spice Girls/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images
I do not buy the fact Victoria Beckham is not going to be involved because of commitments and the fact she is too busy. The reason the group have not reunited since they split is because it has been hard getting all five of them on the same page. Look at the 2000 album from Spice Girls and one notices Ginger Spice missing. Many felt that reality was the beginning of the end and, whilst songs like Let Love Lead the Way and Goodbye were good tracks; Forever was a bit of a damp squib and got a critical bashing. It is good Geri Horner is back in and committed to a reunion and there is a sense of excitement in the camp. All of the members have gone on to enjoy varying degrees of success since the Spice Girls called time. Emma Bunton is a D.J. and T.V. personality whilst Melanie C and Geri Horner have enjoyed some solo success; both are very much in the public eye but not as active as they were in the years following the group’s split. Melanie C, too, had some success but a lot of the column inches dedicated to her have revolved around relationship issues and controversies. Geri Horner has not released an album since 2005’s Passion but she has been on our screens and has enjoyed a more domestic and settled life.
IMAGE CREDIT: Getty Images
I am not here to rake over the leaves of split and tension but it is a shame there will not be the classic line-up on the stage. Many might say why, so many years down the line, are the Spice Girls getting back together?! Can they really create an impact and thrill people like they did when they were on top of the world?! Times have changed and one barely sees girl groups in the mainstream. The golden days when you had the Spice Girls, En Vogue and Destiny’s Child doing their thing and promoting messages of empowerment and strength; now, there is much less of it and it seems that area of music is dying. I am not sure why there is little cultivation of girl groups but one feels a Spice Girls reunion will stoke some interest and revival. I wonder whether a reunion will go as far as new material. Many might scowl and be fearful of that question but look at En Vogue and All Saints. The latter, especially, have enjoyed success lately and, whilst they were not officially split, they have managed to transition from their success in the 1990s/2000s and sustained public interest. All Saints are not releasing the same vibe as they did when they started out and, instead, are producing a more mature sound but one that has ample punch and intent. If an album did arrive from the Spice Girls then you have to feel their sound would go down the same road.
Again, it would probably not feature Victoria Beckham and it would be a similar case to Forever – four unified and happy members but a noticeable gap. Who knows what will occur between now and the days following the tour announcement. There will be a public demand for new material and I think that will follow when they are off the road. The gigs, I envisage, will be the classic hits and a real retrospective. It is great in terms of nostalgia but that need for fresh offerings will force them into the studio. I will update this article when more details come to life and the news spreads but there has been some divisions regarding the reunion. Some say that it is best to leave the Spice Girls in the past and they can never recapture that spirit of Girl Power and what they stood for. Back in the 1990s, you could not avoid Spice Girl-related merchandise and girls mimicking them. Singles like Wannabe, 2 Become 1 and Who Do You Think You Are became radio staples and catapulted them into the public conciseness. Spice (1996) was a big debut that got a lot of people talking and why the songs lacked the same great and authority as some of their peers’ music – the likes of En Vogue and Destiny’s Child – there was something anthemic and catchy about their material.
Teen-Pop, as a result, was brought back into the mainstream and the doors were opened for other artists to step up. The wave of obsession that followed that release is akin to Beatlemania in the 1960s. That album peaked at number-one in seventeen countries and was a gigantic success. 1997’s Spiceworld was another big success and capitalised on the group’s popularity and demand. They were touring the world and bringing their unique live set to the hungry masses. The catchiness of songs like Spice Up Your Life, Stop and Too Much won new hearts and the group were involved with the writing process – it was a juggernaut that was taking over the world. Critics always were and always have been split by the validity and appeal of the music. One can argue there is a lot of cotton candy and sweetness that hides any real maturity and depth whilst others contest the hooks, big choruses and sense of fun are proof enough. However divided the press were; the nation as a whole was involved in this brief and brilliant burst of Girl Power that seemed to provide something new and needed into music. There were not a lot of British Pop artists augmenting sisterhood, this notion of Girl Power and a defiance that marked them as, albeit cheeky and commercial, rebels and role models for teenagers and children around the world.
There was sadness when they split but many have suggested they did what they did well and it is best left in the past. Others feel this reunion is about money and trying to recapture long-lost success and fame. I agree new material will be very different to what they have produced and you cannot go back in time and expect them to create the same effect and sensation they did in the 1990s. Music has changed beyond recognition and modern Pop has shifted to the solo artists; the quality and nature of mainstream music has altered and it would be inorganic and strange for a revival of the sounds we heard on Spice. Between the four touring members, there are children, husbands and new careers; they are not as young as they once were and their creative intent is changed. Maybe we will see a revival of the Girl Power mantra but I feel they have passed that phase. In any case; although I am not a mega-fan of their work; I feel their return is a good thing and who knows where it could lead?! All Saints have managed to find popularity and acclaim a couple of decades after their first incarnation and one feels, if Destiny’s Child reformed, then they could create something sensational. It would be interesting to hear Geri Horner, Melanie Brown; Melanie Chisholm and Emma Bunton work on something new and you wonder, if it got to the studio, whether Victoria Beckham (née Adams) would be persuaded to return.
IN THIS PHOTO: Victoria Beckham/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images
Keep your eyes peeled for the 3 P.M. announcement but, of course, I think it is exciting music gets to focus on something positive and speculate what could be. I agree it will be impossible to replicate that excitement and sound of the 1990s and nobody expects them to. Even if there is nothing more than touring and a single album; there are so few female bands around at the moment. There are a lot of female solo artists and duos but, when it comes to band; female bands tend not to be Pop-based. Certainly, there are far fewer of the traditional girl bands and I feel the return of the Spice Girls could inspire a new generation. Hearing those hits in stadiums will certainly bring back memories but I wonder whether a lack of Posh Spice on the rack will take away an essential ingredient. Even if the vocal prowess of Victoria Beckham is not the reason to be sad; her place in music history is confirmed and many want that complete group. There is a bit of obfuscation and disguise regarding the official reason – why they are a four-piece and not a quintet – but I hope they can find some common ground. I do not think the Spice Girls can have a long-term recording career as a foursome and most will need the original five back together.
IN THIS PHOTO: The Spice Girls photoed in Paris in September 1996 PHOTO CREDIT: Tim Roney/Getty Images
They can certainly tour and sell tickets by the shed-load but is that Posh Spice-shaped hole going to be too strange?! Will someone take her place and how will the songs differ regarding vocal arrangements and dance routines?! The biggest takeaway from the reunion is how it will affect the new generation and the impact those songs will have. We want the return of those girl groups who could make that instant impact with their chemistry and hooks; those songs that survive the years and, whether you admit it or not, you kind of like! The huge absence of any girl groups might be a sign of the times – that term seems sexist and outdated; Pop is a more personal and solo endeavour – but I feel it would be easy to revive that scene and get some great modern options to the plate. Whatever happens and however it all unfolds; this is news few expected to come and it means 2019 will be one where, believe it or not, four out of the five Spice Girls will share the stage together. It is good to have them back and I hope, in time, Victoria Beckham comes into the group and there is that complete unit. Keep your eyes on the clock for 3 P.M. and, regardless of how they move next year and what plans are afoot; I am pleased to see the Spice Girls…
PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images
BACK in the music world.