Mel B brands Posh’s absence a ‘shame’ as Spice Girls announce comeback

IT’S official, the Spice Girls are back and will be touring the UK next year, minus Victoria Beckham.

However, shortly before this afternoon’s big announcement, Mel B — who only last week was openly mocking her bandmate Posh — struck a more conciliatory tone.

Having previously goaded Beckham with a Halloween costume that included a Posh Spice mask and banner saying: ‘No, I am not going on tour’, Mel appeared on ITV’s Loose Women this morning explaining that they have a ‘love/hate relationship’ and saying she hopes Victoria will join the iconic 1990s band on their new tour because it would be ‘a shame’ if she did not.

But from the looks of today’s launch video, it’s very much just the four of them for now, with only Mel B, Geri Horner (formerly Halliwell), Emma Bunton and Melanie Chisholm appearing in the clip.

In the video, the ladies send themselves up, with a pink-tressed Emma asking, ‘Girls, do you think I’m too old for bunches?’ while Geri brings out Mel’s ‘Scary’ side by breaking the rules and wearing a sparkly blue number rather than the agreed tuxedos.

This prompts Mel C to give up on the matching outfits too, donning her trademark tracksuit and, in a knowing reference to supposed infighting, she pleads: ‘Girls, seriously, we can’t be falling out now if we’re going on tour.’

The ladies then remind us what all the fuss is about with a glorious a cappella rendition of their famous track Spice Up Your Life.

The dates of their UK tour are set to be: June 1 at Manchester’s Etihad stadium; June 3 at Coventry’s Ricoh Arena; June 6 at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light; June 8 at Edinburgh’s BT Murrayfield stadium; June 10 at Bristol Ashton Gate stadium; finishing up on June 15 at Wembley.

It was also revealed I’ll Be There singer Jess Glynne will be their support act.

In a joint statement, the Spice Girls said: ‘We are beyond excited to be reuniting next year for a stadium tour.

‘Bringing girl power and our message of friendship and love back to the stage feels more relevant than ever. We hope everyone can join us for one big Spice Girls party!’

Speaking this morning about the end of the girls’ decade-long hiatus, Mel B said she had kept the news of the reunion tour a secret for ‘five, six months’ and that ‘all the wheels are in motion’.

She said: ‘It’s just the four of us that are fully confirmed, but you know, Vic might join us at some point.’

Asked if Beckham will attend one of the shows and then decide to join them, Brown said: ‘I hope so, I think it’d be a shame if she didn’t.

‘She’s got a full-on life with all of her work commitments and her fashion line and her kids, so, she’s just kind of not committing just yet.’

And referring to last week’s cheeky costume mickey take, Mel said she and Victoria have a ‘love/hate relationship’, adding: ‘I think she found it a bit funny, probably hated it at the same time.’

But there appeared to be no animosity from Victoria today as she wished her bandmates well in a statement, which read: ‘Being in the Spice Girls was a hugely important part of my life and I wish my girls so much love and fun as they go back on tour, I know they will put on an amazing show and the fantastic fans past and present are going to have a wonderful time!’

Mel B also admitted that the band’s last tour, 10 years ago, fell apart because of her.

‘I wasn’t in a very good space within my marriage,’ she said, referring to her now ex-husband Stephen Belafonte.

‘I didn’t feel like I could go on anymore, living this fake world — which was my world, between my marriage, not the girls.

‘So, I kind of said to them, “I can’t carry on any more.” I don’t think anybody knows that publicly.

‘But I don’t mind taking the blame for it because it was actually my fault it ended and so it’s my fault, I was so determined to get us all get back together, and I’m still determined that it will be all five of us at one point.’

Rumours of a reunion have rumbled in recent days, ahead of a scheduled appearance on The Jonathan Ross Show this Saturday.

Earlier today, Emma told listeners that she was ‘so excited’ about the announcement.

As her co-host Jamie Theakston read out details of the launch published in The Sun newspaper, she pleaded with him to stop in case she ‘blurted out’ the details, adding: ‘I’m just so excited, I want it out there. It’ll be brilliant.’

The Spice Girls formed in 1994 and were one of the most successful acts of that decade, but they have not performed together since the London Olympics closing ceremony in 2012.

In February this year, all five members of the group met up and confirmed plans to work on new projects together, but by July Mel B was saying one member of the group had been holding up proceedings.

Tickets for the tour go on sale at 10.30am this Saturday and Mel B said today a world tour is to follow.

Author: Anna Thomson