Tell us what you want, what you really, really want, at the foot of
this article
FOR: David Sinclair
Today the Spice Girls will formally announce their reunion at a press
conference at the O2 Arena. There will be a string of high-profile shows on
different continents and a Greatest Hits album, including new songs that
they have recently recorded.
Should they have got back together? The answer, if you are their manager,
Simon Fuller, or have anything to do with their record company, Virgin, is a
no-brainer. With album sales in freefall and the record industry in
meltdown, the chance to recreate the kind of sales that the Spice Girls
enjoyed with their first two albums will be like manna from heaven.
Even now, the scale of the Spice Girls’ success across the globe is difficult
to grasp. Their first two albums, Spice and Spiceworld, each sold more than
20 million copies. And in this year of reunions, when bands such as The Who,
with only two of the original members still alive, or Take That without
Robbie Williams, can make a huge impact as touring attractions, the Spice
Girls are likely to prove a significant commercial success.
Indeed the reunion of the five original Spice Girls together with their
manager Simon Fuller represents the resolution of unfinished business. The
band suspended operations in 2001, but Fuller had been booted out much
earlier, in 1997, and Geri left soon after in 1998. Fuller has often talked
about the unfulfilled potential of the group, and a reunion of all five plus
him will be a chance not only to revisit past glories but also to achieve
some kind of closure.
But what about closure for the rest of us? The business case may be clear cut,
but whether a reunion is the right thing on aesthetic or artistic grounds is
another matter. The Spice Girls were a group spectacularly locked in a
moment. They were young, glamorous, irreverent and fun, and it will be
asking a lot of them to transport that kind of exuberant appeal on to a
stage again now that they are all in their thirties.
But I have no doubts that their music will stand the test of time. Think of
how many of their songs you can still recall with absolute clarity – Say
You’ll Be There, Mama, Who Do You Think You Are and, of course, Wannabe –
and remember that there is another generation of kids who have seen the
Spiceworld movie, heard the songs and will be fascinated to see the group
together for the first time.
The critics in Britain, and to a lesser extent America, will naturally be
queuing up to rubbish them. And it is true that the Spice Girls have a lot
to answer for. More than a mere pop group, they were a social phenomenon.
The way in which the group was assembled, through an audition process, and
then put in a house together, where they were filmed (and even “voted out”
one of the original members, Michelle Stephenson) unwittingly provided the
blueprint for the world of celebrity culture that we (and they) now inhabit.
Their bubbly enthusiasm belied a streak of ruthless ambition that took them
to the top of the greasy pole of pop without any of them being ripped off.
They were smarter than they looked. And they became ubiquitous to the point
of overkill.
But history has a way of readjusting the stock of pop groups that seem
irritating and irrelevant at the time. Abba, who came to fame after winning
the Eurovision Song Contest, were derided as buffoons when they were still
together: and even groups such as the Monkees, the original prefabricated
four, have achieved a certain grudging critical respect in hindsight. The
songs of the Spice Girls – whose first album, let’s not forget, was
shortlisted for the Mercury Music Prize – may prove to have a similarly
surprising long-term appeal. And if they can find a way to present
themselves that recaptures the fun without making them look like idiots,
they will be home and dry.
Reunions always attract a certain amount of flak, and a Spice Girls reunion
doubly so. But if it is such a terrible idea, then why all the interest?
When I wrote my book Wannabe I was asked, time and time again, why would
anyone bother to write a book about the Spice Girls? But never, anywhere in
the world, was I asked, who are the Spice Girls? The fevered speculation of
a reunion that has rumbled on for years has been fuelled by continuing
public fascination in the five girls as individuals. They have become part
of the fabric of modern celebrity culture. You can’t turn back the clock,
but at least now we can put the rumours to rest and see what they were
actually all about. Let’s hope it was worth all the fuss.
— Wannabe: How the Spice Girls Reinvented Pop Fame, by David
Sinclair, is published by Omnibus
AGAINST: Pete Paphides
So which songs are you gagging to hear one more time? Some bodies of work date
pretty well. Others fade like photographic paper exposed to light. Before we
get on to all the ways they influenced these times for the worse, we should
dwell first and foremost on the fact that the Spice Girls were a pop group.
Their existence was, at least notionally, predicated on making records that
people might want to hear. And for a while they did, but then so did the Bay
City Rollers, Bros and Westlife.
Once the fug of pheromones and hormones has evaporated, what is actually left?
Listen to hits such as Wannabe, Viva Forever, Stop and Mamaand what strikes
you is their flimsy production, threadbare tunes and – the two Mels
notwithstanding – singing voices that no amount of autotune could render
palatable. If you want to hear mainstream pop executed with sex, savvy,
passion, humour and high songwriting values, you’d be much better off with
the songs that the Xenomania production team has been penning for Girls
Aloud over the past five years.
Of course, the Spice Girls and the people around them would be quick to argue
that without the “girl power” they ushered in, such groups might not have a
ready fanbase waiting for them. But female singers existed long before
Wannabe came out, and they didn’t have the temerity to kid us that their
mere existence made them pop’s equivalent of Emily Pankhurst.
During a four-year reign marked mostly by the utter lack of humility with
which they carried themselves, the Spice Girls bellowed that wretched slogan
so often that they began to believe that it meant something: yet under the
weight of any examination whatsoever, Girl Power stood up as well as Oliver
Reed and Keith Moon after a night in their local.
Inverviewed on the Saturday morning children’s show Live & Kicking,
they claimed that they had received letters from children who had invoked
this girl power thing to stop being bullied at school. One was put in mind
of George Harrison shouting “Hare Krishna!” as his bedroom assailant
advanced towards him: a novel idea but, in the real world, entirely useless.
But then, if the rubbish film they made is anything to go by, the Spice
Girls lived not in the real world but in Spiceworld – a realm of product
placement and infinite merchandising possibilities.
Though she was swiftly told to backtrack, Geri Halliwell’s declaration that
Margaret Thatcher was the original Spice Girl was just about the truest
thing she ever said. The Spice Girls were Simon Fuller’s first glimpse of
the possibilities afforded by that most pernicious of modern phenomena, the
pop franchise. Later, of course, Fuller ploughed his talents into Popstars–
the programme that effectively started the continuing wave of prime-time
talent shows that blight schedules to this day, and are partially
responsible for coopting pop into the world of light entertainment.
Before Girl Power, pretty girls would try to get a foot in the door of the
entertainment industry by doing a bit of glamour modelling or dancing in
nightclubs. After Girl Power, pretty girls elected to get a foot in the door
of the entertainment industry by doing a bit of glamour modelling or dancing
in nightclubs. And why? Because Girl Power showed them that it was their
right to do so! When I interviewed Mel B in 2000 and made the same point to
her, she refused to countenance the notion that there may be any negative
aspect to Girl Power: less still that any overlap between their Girl Power
and feminism might be a good thing. “Feminism,” she explained, “is a bit
more harsher. I think they’ve gotsome good political views.”
Far from being an antidote to Loaded laddism, the Spice Girls were a symptom
of it. If you want an example of how a woman can subvert mainstream pop on
the back of a radical agenda, try Beth Ditto of the Gossip. But Ditto didn’t
form the Gossip because of the Spice Girls: the Arkansas trio came from the
genuinely empowering Riot Grrrl movement that gained wider attention through
bands such as Huggy Bear and Bikini Kill in the early 1990s.
The Spice Girls legacy is far less spectacular. It has made pop another branch
of the light entertainment industry, something that vacuous dolly birds can
add to their portfolio alongside modelling and dancing. The only Spice Girl
who appears to have any awareness that their tenure might not have been an
altogether good thing is Mel C. With a reasonably successful European solo
career to maintain, Sporty Spice has said that her reluctance to be the one
who prevents a Spice Girl reunion just about eclipses her reluctance to take
part. For the rest of the group, there’s little to prevent them from
satiating a massive public nostalgia that I doubt is even really there. Lest
we forget, they offered to reunite two years ago for Live 8: and as a
fabulously catty BBC source said: “Live 8 isn’t Party in the Park.”
Well, quite. Like Big Issue sellers and those homeless people who turn up at
your front door with a tray of dishcloths, if the Spice Girls had any skill
at all it was in using another agenda to sell you a poor-quality product. In
a sense, that’s fine. You weren’t really buying The Big Issue, crap
dishcloths and a pop record: you were, respectively, buying the fleeting
gratitude of two tramps and a stake in Girl Power. Why the hell would we
want the Spice Girls back? Haven’t they done enough damage already?
Three reasons why they're together again:
1. For the money
2. To attempt to revitalise their flagging (or non existent) careers
3. For the money
Even Posh must get a bit bored being famous only for spending her husband's money.
It all comes across as being a little bit sad and desperate.
dougie mitchell, edinburgh, scotland
The only point to a Spice Girls reunion is to make Simon Fuller wealthier and top make the girls feel important again. As individuals, none of them are relevant. But as brand Spice they can believe that they are musically important. The fact is that they are rubbish. Always were and always will be.
Tony Bailey, Rochester, England
I have loved the spice girls since they first came out and I can't wait for the reunion tour!!!!! They have definately influence my life growing up! GIRL POWER! MWWWA!
Robin, London, Canada
I agree with the first guy who wrote a book on them. Im 18 years old now and I looked up to the Spice Girls. They didnt sing about bad things at all like the female singers do now. I have and always will have respect for those girls. I take a bow to them. When I think of them I feel like a child again...
:)
I LOVE THE SPICE GIRLZ!
janet, austin, United States, Texas
I just wanna zigga zig ah.
James, Monteria, Colombia
I don't much care eitehr way, but Pete has it rigt when talking about their musical quality and their staying power. Wannabe was a good pop song and burst onto the music scene bringing freshness and change. After that what diid the spices do? Notihng I can remember. And since then they have become musically irrelevant.
Neil Murphy, cromer,
Pete Paphides' comment about Big Issue sellers is refreshingly robust. Well said. All too often, this wretched, shoddy propaganda publication is given emperor's-new-clothes status.
F. Harvey, Bristol,
How we gonna get tickets?
Kev, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear
Quite frankly, does it really matter what people think of them? They are going to do the tour anyway so no amount of putting them down or being jealous (which clearly alot of you are judging by the overly pessimistic comments...) is going to stop them!
They represented a culture back in there time, an they were bloody successful at it! I say all power to them if they want to get back together for a tour, why the hell not!
Ill be going, even if just for a laugh and to bring back some memories.
I bet none of you old fogies would be complaining if Wham got back together for a tour..
Girl Power, Chelsea,
N O read my lips. NO!!!!!!!!
James, Cheltenham,
So what is next? Spice World the play?
Sarah, NYC, NY
I cannot believe that the British public are buying into the hype surrounding these old has-beens, they can't sing they can't dance, their egos outdo their ability, it's just a way of them lining their pockets because a couple of them have spent all their money. Apart from Sporty and Baby the other 3 hate living in this country....................................I could go on, but I have a life
hugh mcgivern, rickmansworth, hertforshire
I think Peter Paphides is missing the point somewhat. He has criticised the Spice Girls' music, attitude and (shock horror) their political aspirations!
No one will claim that the spice girls technical musical acumen was up there with the greats. That is because they get the point of the Spice Girls (which Peter is still struggling with). At the time when they arrived on the scene there was a severe lack of out-and-out pop music. Pop was a dirty word and everyone was forced to listen to dour, whiny, guitar, brit pop. In came the Girls and all that changed. Pop was good, refreshing, fun and acceptable again. Paphides criticises their lack of humility but how could one sell pure pop and then be apologetic about it??
The Girls changed the face of music and many pop acts (especially Girls Aloud) owe their position to the Spice Girls. Derriding their 'musical production' etc is petty. Their pop onslaught is still etched in the minds of millions today- and that is the material point!
Kelvin, London, UK
why all the fuss?with todays sound accoustics men they sound alright but wether dated or not next to groups like girls aloud etc? i used to read the"dandy" "beano" "tiger"etc. now i've grown up ,but i'm not ashamed about reading those comics. from NEVER a spice girl fan
paul simm, eastham,wirral, uk
Roll on The spice girls getting back together they were amazing back then and im sure they will still have that magic when they return (just hope i can one of them concert ticketes - they'll be like gold dust!) all these people that slate the girls make me laugh because look at the statistics 55million record sales hardly insignificant is it?? COME ON GIRLS your doin all your fans proud love you all x x x x
John, warrington, uk
I am very excited to see the Spice Girls reunite. I do feel they have a very good chance of recaturing their origianl audience, and then some. When Geri left the group, the Spice Girls weren't the same.......they were missing the flavor that made them the Spice Girls, and missing the most popular member. As they were and are based in England, they have a huge following here in America and the rest of the world. I don't mean to toot our horn, but we may be a little more excited to see them reunite than everyone else. I know for myself, I'm really excited to see Geri, since we didn't get the chnace to when she left on the European leg on the SW tour in May of 1998, so we're very excited now. I can't wait to strap on my huge platform shoes and see them. I love the Spice Girls, always have and always will.
Juli, MN, USA
It's amazing how many people are being so negative about this! I loved The Spice Girls and I got so excited when i saw them back together yesterday. It took me back 11 years!
I think the tour would be a great send-off. I just hope I can get a ticket.
Andy, Liverpool, UK
Haters will always hate so I won't bother to try and persuade middle-ages pseudo-intellectuals of the real merits and effects of girl power, as seen by an intelligent (male, in fact) child of the 90s. All I shall do is voice my support. The ONLY negative feature of this announcement is the constant worry at the back of my mind that I won't get a ticket (!) and the lack of an actual new album...GIRLS, THE MUSIC INDUSTRY NEEDS YOU! I mean, honestly, Snow Patrol? Razorlight? Keane? James Morrison...HELLO? Is there anything left for those of us who want music to be fun...for those who aren’t suicidal? SPICE GIRLS, VIVA FOREVER.
Charlie Alderwick, Exeter, UK
What rubbish! spice girls damage?!! give the girls a break at the height of their career they achieved more then most could dream of! back the brits cos they were obviously doing something right! And please who here hasn't caught themselves singing along to one of their songs?!!
Hope the girls can bring back the magic!
C.London
C, London,
I hated the influence the Spicegirls had on my daughters so much that I emigrated to New Zealand. Joy of joys we are not on their world tour.......ture list!!!
g redshaw, Nelson,
I think it's a great thing. I'm a 26 year old guy and would love to see the girls back together one last time. They've already said it won't be a permanent thing so why not let the fans enjoy what they have to offer, take a trip down memory lane and then it's done with. I've heard the original version of the rumoured new song for the Greatest Hits CD, called "Woman" and it's fantastic. I have no doubt that it'll be a hit. And it's been said time and time again, if you aren't a fan, don't go and see them...simple!! :o)
Mason, SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA
I think it's great that they're reforming. Everyone seems to be talking about it everyone's interested in whats going on. They have produced some quality music in the past which is reflected by album sales and chart positions, and they have done a lot for charity in the past. I never got to see them live when I was younger, but can't wait to see them this time round.
I say good luck to them, and I've no doubt that this reunion will go very well!
Jay, Chelmsford, Essex
Badly sung, badly danced, wretchedly dressed, hoochy pop!
Dee, Phoenix, Arizona, USA
Let's be honest three of them are in it for one thing and one thing only, the money. hey if it had been for charadee, then we could have overlooked the crass embarrassment of this comeback but then again is this no more embarrassing than Who fans in their sixties sing "Hope I die before I get old" or Sex Pistols fans singing about anarchy in the UK before hoping in the Volvo back to the Islington terrace. Mel C ought to be ashamed of herself for allowing hersefl to get roped in after doing so much to build a succesful solo career, something none of the others even touched upon. Her reward? The others will probably stick her in a saggy tracksuit and tel;l her to wipe the make-up off. Anyway here's to next year's Blue reunion!
Griff, Bermondsey, South London
"Tell us what you want, what you really, really want, at the foot of this article"
I really, really, really want to see them all pregnant.
spicy, Liverpool, UK
I understand that they will earn something like 10million Pounds each. It was also reported on a news bulletin that some of the girls were now hard up and that this is the reason for reuniting.
The fact that they had more money than most people in the world will ever have and that they now require more funds to keep up their lavish lifestyle is not a reason to try to regain status. They were talentless then and will prove to be so again.
There are many people in the world starving and may not have eaten today. Perhaps they could donate any monies to world charities to perhaps some very needy souls.
Suzanne Iles, Bristol, United Kingdom
The Spice Girls were good fun. When would anyone not want to have fun ?.
j, Bristol,
Mrs Beckham has no facial expressions. She is spiceless and therefore pointless in the context of 'The Spice Girls'.
claudine bulpitt, frome, uk
I am SO sorry but the Spice Girls will be as irrelevant and inconsequential now as they were then. Their place in the big picture does not merit a reformation. Hell, it never merited their existance in the first place
Scott Findlay, Arbroath, Angus
Oh joy unbounded................... not.
Who really cares about this bunch of has beens who could not make it own their own so thought they would jump on the bandwagon of has been groups reforming for the money.
Trevor, Hastings,
They definitely did not spice up my life. Antonia Kimbell
Antonia Kimbell, London,
The Spice Girls are the best band ever! They will get the best pop music back to our lives as they did in the 90s. Go girls!
Javier, Vigo, Spain
To save crocodiles in Cambodia and many other wonderful things in the animal world, the BBC are hoping to raise £20 million. Brilliant way to spend money.
We don't need more meaningless popworld drivel, but we need those endanger species.
The sad thing is, that I live just up the road from where Ginger grew up.
David Holmes, Watford, Hertfordshire
I wouldn't cross the road to see them, it strikes me that apart from Posh the rest of them have run out of money.
Kevin Coleman, Hertfort, England
They are a bit past it, should stick to what they have been doing since they split. Yeah sure take that have had a come back, did some great songs and still look fantastic. Spice girls um too be fair most are mums etc and the only one who looks better then she ever did is sporty spice.
Raylea Dodd, Weeley, Essex, England
I just wish that people would stop referring to grown women as "girls." Girls are twelve years old. This group doesn't help much by calling themselves girls and marketing their comeback with the term "girl power." No wonder so many women wind up in bad relationships with immature men -- they see and promote themselves as girls. A shame.
BTW, I am proud to say that I do not know one single Spice Girls song and I wouldn't recognize one if I heard it. Why does anyone care about this group?
Diane, NYC, USA
the spice girls are awesome and i think they will come back bigger and better than ever!
sarah, Melbourne,
I would say firstly that I have never been a fan right from the start. I ask myself that if it is true that they have to enhance their voices when they do now sing isn't that a bit of a fraud and if people go to see them it will only be for the old fame and not their singing entertainment.. Also I am sure that they old fans will go to see the 'old fun' but might be bit disappointed with old mums and thin wags that should now really be getting on with life and not bothering everyone with the excessive media coverage it is bound to get
Richard, Saxmundham, Suffolk
waaahheyyy me and my girlies have been waiting for this!! all u critics lighten up, its a bit of fun, a chance to relive ur childhood and have a brilliant time. the spice girls were a massive success. i and a lot of people i know can remember every single word of their songs. they rule! im goin to try everything to get tickets. girl power!
francesca, manchester,
I can’t wait!! Their music takes me right back to a time of girlie sleepovers, brightly coloured nail varnish and platforms… for nostalgic value I’m sure it would be great to see them live. All I want to know now is the tour dates and when the tickets go on sale so I can snap mine up!
Seema, London, UK
Hopefully their concert will flop, Mel C will go on and be more successful, posh will hopefully disappear in la la land the others I don't really care,
angela cole, manchester, england
The point is, there never was any Girl Power. There was Earning Power, but that was it. Gerry "I've never been on a diet" Halliwell had an eating disorder, Victoria Beckham is a skeletal freak with mental problems, Mel whatever she is, always has been truly Scary, the Baby Spice played on the whole under-age sex branding, and Mel-the-other-one has come out has relatively normal.
But they're just a contrived group who sold lots of records. They've contributed nothing to society and THE OPPOSITE of any power for women. They're an embarassment to women, if anything.
Laura Roberts, London, UK
Yes I want to see them up close
Only out of sheer nosiness to see how they look now.
nosy, nosey town, pinoccho palace
'Oh dear' and 'Whoops' come to mind. Yet maybe they need the money ...... for their pensions, shopping and liftings.....
IM Virga, St Ives, UK
Put a wooden stake through their hearts and maybe they will stay dead instead of coming back to life and haunting people with their awful 'music'.
Christopher Holland, Canberra, Australia
Im sure the majority of you making snide comments about a spice girls reunuion would have had something quite different to say about a beatles reunion. the spice girls are the beatles of our generation, except with sex appeal, not lsd.
aimee, port talbot, wales
Is prefab the right word according to The Oxford Dictionary it is short for prefabricate.?
"Manufacture sections to enable easy assemble or on site."
No Comment.
Bernard parke, Guildford,
I think that the Spice Girls having a reunion is a fantastic idea. If Take That can do it then why not? There are far too many bands nowadays that sound all the same and even though i do admit myself that the Spice Girls' songs were samey, I think that they will bring back the element of fun that they had back in their heyday.
Laura, Tamworth,
What a waste of time. We don't need more crap in the wold.
alex, London,
Pathetic - they are only doing it for the money and to boost their fading celebrity z list statuses. They were ok as a novelty group, but the novelty had long worn off!
David, London,
Best group ever?? What a joke. With the possible exception of Mel C none of them can sing. Their stage presence is manufactured. They got to where they did because of the slick marketing machine behind them that worked at that particular moment in time. If they are so good, why have they not managed to go on with solo careers? Answer because signing collectively hid thier awful voices. Now they need the help of a computer to perform for which they are going to get paid £10m each. And we wonder what the world is coming to!!
Ian, Surrey,
Why not! If its good enough for Fake That - its good enough for Price Girls!
PP, Falmouth, Cornwall
Have you all taken leave of your senses? They were utter rubbish, vacuous, inane eye candy, roll on the travesty.
Alex McHugh, Edinburgh, Midlothian
I honestly don't care whether or not the Spice Girls reunite. It thier choice and if they really have enough fans to tour than more power to them. However I wanted to reply to Matthew Walton on his statement the Spice Girls "were the biggest band to come out of the UK since the Beatles". Sorry Matthew but you must not remember the Rolling Stones or more recently Coldplay (you know...the multi-platinum bands that hail from the UK?). I'm pretty sure these two bands (and others) have more than eclipsed the popularity and album sales of the 90s girl band.
Also, Karim. I "grew up" in the 90s (I graduated high school in 2000) and the Spice Girls were never (and will never be...) an integral part of my life or who I am.
Again, if they want to tour - fine. But please people get your facts straight.
Heather, Summerville, USA
Were are and always will be a waste of time and money.Utter commercial rubbish.
M McGregor, Tunbridge Wells, Kent
I cant wait to see the girls reform!! They were my favourite and still are my favourite group. No one can touch them on their success, They make great classic pop songs and are full of energy and fun! They paved the way for other artists today. I really hope they do a tour, record a new album and stay around for a long time to come. Welcome back girls!! We missed ya!
Stephen, Longford, Ireland
From the article:
" Lest we forget, they offered to reunite two years ago for Live 8: and as a fabulously catty BBC source said: “Live 8 isn’t Party in the Park.†"
You are incorrect because Bob Geldof, who put Live 8 together, really wanted them on the show and he is the one that pursued them. But I believe that it was Mel B who wasn't keen on commiting to the gig. So you are entirely incorrect in saying that all five pursued Live 8 first.
The Spice Girls surely were not going to solve any world problems but honestly what singer or band does? They were light and fun and isn't music something that is something you can use to escape from the world troubles?
I loved the group in the '90's. I loved what they brought. They brought Girl Power and I know that it worked with me. So I say let the Spice Girls ever rein. They are fantastic and I love their music.
Danielle, Rockford, IL
I think they should go for it..I'm intriguied!
Betty, oxford,
The spice girls will bring pop back to what it should be, Fun spectacular and a whole lot more intresting than anything else thats came out in the past 10 years.
POP MUSIC NEEDS THE SPICE GIRLS TO INJECT SOME LIFE BACK INTO IT!
Graham Lee, GLASGOW, GLASGOW
I want to see Geri on stage doing her thing and I hope the music is as good as when they first started. lets hear them sing live or will they empty the room
Peter, Hastings, UK
I'm glad they are back and I can't wait to see them preforming on stage again. I practically grew up listening to their music from the age of 9 years old. I was and still am a huge fan of theirs.
Nia, Swansea, UK
Every dog has its day, or so they say, and I think the Spice Girls had there’s and were very successful at it. I never liked them before, but appreciate that many people did; I really do not think Old Spice should make a comeback, and what stage names should they have now; Pregnant spice, famous for being married to a footballer spice, paternity spice, yo yo dieter spice and not so sporty spice.
Ladies go off and do what you should have done in the beginning, have many children, be housewives, and get a little part time job.
Julie, Hillingdon, Middlesex
Anne Taylor, Mitcham. I can't wait to see a return to the Spice Girls either, the 'green' effect of all those TVs being switched off should be quite astounding.
David Leslie, Perth, Scotland
i love the spice girls!!!!!!!! i was one of those 6 year olds loving the spiceworld!!!!!!! i have been waiting for this for years. can't wait for the tour will be going with all my mates, sitster and her mates and my mum!!!!!!!! all of the spice girl gang will be there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
gabriella feld, liverpool, england
Cant wait to see them in concert it will surely be a great show. They defined a generation. Its brilliant that theyre back together
Simon, West Mids,
Is there no end to their greed? good luck to them if they can find enough idiots to part with their hard earned cash; but I cannot believe they actually take themselves so seriously that they believe their music is worth a reunion in middle age. Oh how they will laugh as the coffers fill up. Nice if they were to donate it all to charity but then why should they? The more money people have, the more they s eem to want. A sad reflection on today's ethics.
Susan Mary, Perth, Scotland
First off they are going to have to rename the group........The Spice Tarts and then Posh is going to need singing lessons and they need to write a few new songs and maybe learn a few of their better solo efforts to sing as a group. It's their last chance to milk some more money out of what at the time was an exceptional following by young teenage girls (who have now grown up and got kids of their own) before they are completely forgotton.
Stevie, Harrogate, UK
They are Crap
Stephen, Glasgow,
The Spice Girls was a phenomenom all around the world, and for a whole girls' generation (in which I'm included) they were more than models to follow, or singers to imitate...
Today's news, whatever they'd be, will be on TVs in every country. That must mean somenthing. Something like people still want to know what these women are going to do for pop culture.
I'm from Spain, the Spice Girls sold a million copies of "wannabe" here, I was 16 when I first heared the song. Now I'm 26, and I'm hopping they decide to do some concerts and come to Spain at least once, because I couldn't been the last time they were in Madrid 'cause was a girl without money or parents' permission, but now I earn my own and can go whenever I want, and definitely the Spice Girls reunion worth it!
For those who dosn't like it or don't wanna hear anything else, it's as easy as put in your ipod something different and let the rest enjoy with whatever they want.
Ana, Spain,
The Spice Girls sum up everything that is wrong in this 'post Heat Magazine / Big Brother' world, where zero talent can mean riches beyond your wildest dreams and girls everywhere want fame and the riches it brings without the hard work.
Seeing 'Mel B' sharing a podium with Nelson Mandela and claiming that his struggle against apartheid was similar to the 'Girl Power' that she was trying to infuse girls with was possibly the most embarrassing piece of staged television I have seen in the last decade.
They should be hiding away, laughing at the fact that such a talentless group of individuals could make so much money, not trying to fleece the next generation as well.
MJT, Manchester,
I've been waiting for this moment since Geri left.. I'll pay anything for the tickets..
Jay, Helsinki, Finland
The chancellor take away their money?
Must be broke, otherwise why come back
from the dead. kelly ann said it all.
Glo B., Leamington Spa, UK
Can't wait for their reunion. Spice Girls, without anyone of them isn't the same.
Jean-Pierre, Gzira,, Malta
No comeback please
DEREK FLANAGAN, Hythe, Kent, England
I think is good...i dont know...why everyone hates posh..she's not doin' this for money is probably the only One of SG, whose doesn't need it...she's the rich one, the pretty one, she has it all..she's doin this to remember a time of her life...they have all my respect..if u dont like them ok, but dont give insults to them..what about pete doherty?or that england people that hurts the uk image in the world..u dont critize that..posh has showed a very quite and polite image of england people durin her 3 years in spain.i get with that.
miguel, murcia, spain
Really looking forward to seeing the Spice Girls and will be taking my girls along.
K. Brabiner, Baildon, Bradford, UK
I think they are one of the greatest groups of the 90's. I hope they reform but with out Posh spice. Posh was usless , rubbish and made no real contribution to the vocals department.
So Posh if you want the girls to have success........... Leave
kelly ann, uk,
Will they let Victoria sing on one of these songs? I'm sure we are all looking forward to her pointless pouting while the other Spice Women (surely no longer gilrs) sing their lines. They shouldn't exclude her just because she is talentless.
T , London,
The very fact that this is being debated in The Times negates the second argument. It is a complete waste of time pointing out the many inaccuracies too, as the public are willing to believe it all.
They were the biggest band to come out of the UK since The Beatles, they must havedone something right.
Matthew Walton, Hull,
Anyone daft enough to want those girls, now women, to sing into a computer, and for the listeners to pay huge over inflated prices for the privilege, deserves whatever happens to their ears and their wallets.
Much wiser to give the money to children's hospitals, otherwise how many more clothes do you imagine you are buying for some self obssessed, talentless nobdies?
Ken.H, Harrow,
Emmeline Pankhurst, not Emily.
Tim Footman, Bangkok, Thailand
I cant wait to see a return to the spice girls maybe
televisions everywhere will be switched on again
Anne Taylor, Mitcham, uk
spice girl was the best and still is the best group ever alot of people are thrilled they are getting back together
christy , melbourne, australia
I'd much rather listen to Melanie C's solo work than the Spice Girls, but good on them for nostalgia. The press always go on about it!
Dave, Leeds, UK
i agree with the first article, the spice girls were a huge pop phenomenon that rarely happens and might never happen again in pop history. the chemestry between the girls was exceptional and their music was pure high quality that iconise the 90s. instead of putting down people and trying to invent philosophies about the damages the spice girls caused to this world.. lets celebrate the good music, the fun and the nostalgia.
as if the world would have been a better place without the spice girls, crimes would still happen, so would wars. so enough, lets celebrate positively, spice girls will always be part in the lives of those who grew in the 90s.
Karim, Beirut, Lebanon
I love the Spice Girls I don't care what anyody says <3
Allie, Peoria, IL