“Sporty Says Sweat” - and from dancing so hard, we all did!

1 hour ago

4 min read

As we waited for the concert to start, I questioned, “Is this the right venue for a megastar, a legend, a Spice Girl?” There was a stark contrast between the ornate ceilings of the 3Olympia Theatre and the neon tube lights scattered across the waiting stage. There was also an unquestionable contrast between the scale of the stages we’re used to seeing Melanie C play. “Has her monumental fame been lost in time?”

The lights went down, and the opening track, ‘Undefeated Champion’, began to play. Out she came, that familiar face we all know, wearing a silk boxing robe and skintight sportswear, throwing punches, flashing her bright smile and honestly looking better than she ever has. The opening was big and bold, and for me, it answered the question: don’t ever discount Melanie C.

“It’s so bloody good to see ya! We’re gonna have some fun tonight!” were the first spoken words to the wide-eyed crowd, and she was right. The strobe lights hadn’t stopped flashing vibrant colours as we moved through ‘Til It Breaks’ and ‘Emotional Memory’, and we had a chance to take a drink as the lights glowed a soft orange and Mel took things down a little to sing ‘Cashmere’. This was when we were really reminded who the strongest singer in the band was (I’m not declaring the best, but the strongest!). ‘Cashmere’ was full of delicate riffs and familiar notes we all have no doubt she can still hit.

Things weren’t down for long, however. We raised our glasses as she cheered, “Drinkypoo!” and raised her own. “This is where it starts to get funky!” The show pulsed through songs ‘Attitude’ and ‘Pressure’ from her latest album, Sweat. Mel whipped her hair wildly, and the strobe lights (who needs backing dancers when you have strobe lights?) had briefly transformed the theatre into a Berlin-style rave, something I never imagined I’d see from the star.

From here, she skipped offstage into what could easily be the fastest costume change I’ve ever seen from an artist, though apparently, it still wasn’t fast enough for her. “Sporty Spice needs to get to the gym,” she laughed, and returned mere seconds later wearing her iconic first outfit from 1996’s ‘Wannabe’, reimagined: a pink top and blue Adidas track bottoms (complete with a six-pack, may I add!). Here, she took a moment to chat with the crowd about concerts past, asking who had a chance to see the Spice Girls as a group or even a solo Spice Girl. Mel knew why a lot of us were there and, like the tabloids over the past 20 years, teased us with, “We’re going to have to fix that.” Cue monumental energy from the crowd, and we all joined her to belt out ‘Say You’ll Be There’, ‘Never Be The Same Again’ and ‘Sweat’.

Our third costume change gave us a glimpse of the new era of Sporty Spice: a Wham!-style slogan T-shirt (available to buy in her merch line), this time announcing ‘Sporty Says Sweat’. Wearing nothing but the T-shirt, Mel showed herself to be in the most confident and sexy phase of her career so far. Coincidentally, in this outfit, she returned to perform a cover of ‘Touch Me’, ‘All I Wanna Do’ - complete with red mood lighting - and ‘Flick of the Wrist’.

‘Good for Nothing’ brought us into another side of Mel C that I hadn’t had the pleasure of witnessing yet, as she took to the decks and performed a quick-fire medley of many iconic numbers: ‘Freed from Desire’, ‘Pump Up the Jam’, ‘I’ve Got the Power’ and more. However, this was her first stumble. Something happened, and it all ended rather abruptly, but she owned her mistake. She asked her band to begin the segment again, and this time, it seemed to go to plan, showing a true veteran performer of 29+ years and proving that everything was live.

A Fatboy Slim remix then brought us into why I personally was there: ‘Who Do You Think You Are’ and ‘Spice Up Your Life’. Songs that have travelled through life with me, as I’m sure they have with you reading this.

‘Free to Love’ kept the energy of the group numbers going, with trumpets and drums filling the room! Mel was dancing with all the energy of a Mardi Gras performer, and when it came to the song’s lyrics, “You get me every time”, her tone shifted from singing to heartfelt spoken word as she gestured to the crowd lovingly.

During the final (less speedy) costume change, spoken words from Mel told the crowd, “Don’t let the bastards steal your dreams.” from here though I couldn’t hear the rest because the band returned to the stage and we applauded Mel back on with warm enthusiasm.

‘Drum Machine’ and ‘Place Where We Belong’ continued the energy of the Europop rave before closing the show with the perfect fan-favourite accompaniment to these more modern tracks: ‘I Turn to You’. She comfortably walked away from the mic several times, not to compensate for a lack of vocals like many seasoned artists. No, no - it was because the whole crowd had simply taken over at this point. Starting low and building, it grew into a giant, nostalgic scream-sing from everyone in the room. “What just happened? You always blow me away, every time.”

Negatives: We didn’t get ‘Baby When You’re Gone’ or ‘Northern Star’. I don’t know why, but simply being in the presence of a Spice Girl will far outweigh many of the world’s problems for me, including a few missing songs.

We may not have had the whole band together again (yet), but Sporty Spice, Melanie C, gave us enough talent, energy, fun and nostalgia to rival a whole band reunited in one beautifully toned body.

Thanks for a fantastic night

Review by Peter Irvine