Entertainment
S Club concert evacuated mid-show after ‘incident’
An S Club concert was evacuated mid-show on Monday night after a “minor incident”.
M&S Bank Arena Liverpool said it will conduct a “full investigation” into the cause of the “partial evacuation” but did not disclose details of the issue.
The concert had already been rescheduled from 13 October due to issues with the venue’s power supply.
In a post on X, M&S Bank Arena Liverpool said on Monday: “Tonight, as S Club were close to finishing their set at the arena, there was a minor incident which triggered a partial evacuation.
“The issue was resolved quickly and we were able to restart the show. We will be launching a full investigation.
“The safety of the audience, staff and performers is always our primary concern.”
S Club 7 at the height of their fame
An S Club fan, who was at the concert, told Sky News the band were performing when “it all went black” and a message played over the tannoy telling people in the arena to “evacuate immediately” and there was a “report of fire in the building”.
“Most people went out but some people stayed in their seats and had to be told to leave,” said the fan, who asked not to be named.
She said concertgoers were able to return to the arena after about five minutes but they were not given any further information about what caused the evacuation.
She added that she was concerned during the incident due to heightened fears since the Manchester Arena bombing.
The pop band, formerly known as S Club 7, kicked off their 25th anniversary reunion tour with a show in Manchester on 12 October.
Less than 24 hours later, they were forced to cancel the original Liverpool date, saying on Instagram that they were “beyond devastated”.
They told fans the venue had “an unforeseen technical issue impacting their power supply and therefore your safety”.
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The S Club statement said at the time: “We can’t begin to express how sorry we are.
“Especially as we know so many of you have travelled great distances to join us tonight.
“But your safety is our priority always. We’re rescheduling tonight’s performance in Liverpool to Monday 30 October and all tickets remain valid.”
S Club, which now features Rachel Stevens, Jon Lee, Tina Barrett, Jo O’Meara and Bradley McIntosh, head to the US for concerts in Chicago, Los Angeles and Boston next month.
S Club had announced a reunion tour before the death of band member Paul Cattermole (top left)
Band member Paul Cattermole died in April aged 46 from heart problems – shortly after the concert dates were announced.
His bandmate and ex-girlfriend Hannah Spearritt quit the tour several weeks later.