Thursday 4 April 2013

The Big Reunion Series 2 - Who Should Be In It?


I'm not ashamed to admit it. I bloody loved 'The Big Reunion'. Sure Steps did it first last year, but the idea of seeing all those old bands reunite for one last gig made for seriously addictive television. I had grown up with each of the bands selected so even if I didn't like them, I was still entertained to get a glimpse behind the scenes at how the groups had broken down in the first place. There was also a warm fuzzy nostalgia hearing some classic pop songs from yesteryear. Half of them were crap of course but it was surprising to see how many hits from bands like Liberty X, Honeyz and Blue actually stood the test of time. Even bands that I didn't like the first time round, like Five and 911, were actually better than I had remembered. 

The show was a massive success and that one-off gig exploded into an entire sell-out tour, so I bet the producers at ITV2 are keen to replicate their success with a follow-up season. But who would make it onto the roster? Read on for some of my dream picks!

Miss-Teeq

As the UKs answer to Destiny's Child, Miss-Teeq released two huge albums back in the day and had a string of uptempo pop hits to their name. The group had a secret weapon in Aleesha Dixon, whose quickfire garage-style raps and model looks set the girls apart from other acts on the scene. The lineup change from early on in their career would make for some heated arguments/addictive TV and I would love to hear hits like 'Scandalous' and 'One Night Stand' performed again.

Will This Happen? Aleesha Dixon is now a big TV star in her own right so it may be tricky to convince her back, although a reunion may be just what her career needs right now.



All Saints

As early rivals to the success of the Spice Girls, All Saints were one of the most popular UK girl groups of the last two decades. Their laid back vocals and RnB tinged attitude set them apart at the time with classic songs such as 'Never Ever' and 'Pure Shores', although attempts to kickstart solo careers back-fired on the girls. After Take That reunited in the mid-2000s, All Saints decided to give it another go and although they bagged a number one with comeback single 'Rock Steady', the girls were quickly dropped from the label and have not really been heard from since.  

Will This Happen? The Honeyz seemed to hate each other and they managed to set aside their differences so why can't All Saints do the same? Details of their acrimonious split would make for awesome TV!



S Club 7

With their cheesy pop smashes and horrendous TV show, S Club 7 ruled the charts back in the day with hits like 'Don't Stop Moving' and 'Never Had A Dream Come True'. After the group fell apart, each member enjoyed solo success to varying degrees but no one really made it big apart from Rachel Stevens, and even she hasn't released a song in a few years. I was never a fan of S Club 7 but it would be interesting to hear the reality behind the groups success and to see who hated who. There's no way seven popstars could all love each other like the TV show made out!

Will This Happen? Five struggled to reunite all of their members so seven may be a tall order, but surely the group can carry on as a S Club 6... or 5? S Club 3 anyone? Failing that, there's always the S Club Juniors...



Eternal


This RnB pop quartet were huge back in the 90s with anthems like 'I Wanna Be The Only One' and 'Stay'. Louise Redknapp left the girls after their first album to start a successful solo career but the group continued on for a few more albums before disbanding in 2000. Ironic group name aside, fans have long awaited a reunion from the girls and this may just be the perfect way for this to happen. My only concern is that Eternal are the oldest act on this list and may not fit in with the early 2000s style of the other bands, although 911 did do a good job on the last series. 

Will This Happen? If Louise gets on board then this could actually happen but she seems quite content doing her own thing at the moment so we'll have to wait and see for this one.



A1

A1 were an adorable English/Norwegian boy band who started out as bubblegum pop but became more serious about the songwriting after the success of their first album. Songs like 'Same Old Brand New You' and 'Caught In The Middle' were hugely popular back in the day but after Paul left the group, A1 disbanded. Lead singer Ben briefly attempted a solo career but after that crashed and burned, the remaining members reformed and have since released new material. It's just that no one in the UK has heard any of it. 

Will This Happen? With or without Paul, the groups reunion on UK TV would give the boys a huge boost in sales and could keep the band going. This seems like a win-win situation for A1.


Busted

Charlie Simpson, Matt Willis and James Bourne made up this three-piece pop/rock band and while the group only recorded two studio albums, they enjoyed huge success in the short time that they were together, paving the way for groups like McFly to make it big. Early hits like 'Year 3000' and 'What I Go To School For' were enjoyably cheesy but the group disbanded after Charlie left to commit to his other band, alternative rock group Fightstar. 

Will This Happen? It's hard to tell as the boys have all enjoyed success doing their own things. I think Charlie would be the most reluctant to return as the credibility he gained from Fightstar and his solo acoustic album could be washed down the drain by a return to the pop sound of Busted. You could argue however that he's never been as successful since. This could be the kickstart Charlie needs to keep his own career afloat.



Another Level

Late 90s urban boyband Another Level made it big with hits like 'Be Alone No More' and 'Freak Me', which became the groups first and only number one hit. Another Level were surprisingly credible for a UK pop act as they were signed to Jay-Z's Roc-A-Fella Records but they couldn't sustain their popularity and split in 2000. Lead singer Dane Bowers had some limited success with a solo career but that soon faded and little has been heard from the boys since. 

Will This Happen? This one's hard to call but there's a lot of girls out there in their 20s who have fond teenage memories of the group so a reunion could be big for these guys.



So who is most likely to reunite for another series of 'The Big Reunion'? And is another series even going to happen? Have I missed out an awesome band who should definitely be on this list? Let me know what you think by commenting, liking and sharing below. 


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