S Club pay tribute to 'our brother' Paul Cattermole at start of reunion tour

S Club began their reunion tour with an emotional on-stage tribute to bandmate Paul Cattermole, six months after he died suddenly.

Footage of the late singer performing Good Times was mixed with a montage of clips from his time in the pop group.

"That's our brother right there, man. Gone but you'll never be forgotten. We miss you every single day," said Bradley McIntosh, his voice breaking.

Paul died at the age of 46 in April from an underlying heart condition.

His death came weeks after they announced their first tour for eight years, to mark their 25th anniversary.

"You know what we've been through this last year," Bradley added later. "It's been so tragic, it's been so sad.

"But we've got you guys," he told fans. "And we're here for you and we could not have done it without you guys."

Thursday's show at Manchester's AO Arena was officially billed as a preview of the Good Times tour to raise funds for the British Heart Foundation.

After Paul's death, bandmate and former girlfriend Hannah Spearritt dropped out, leaving five of the original seven members to go on the road.

They appeared in brightly-coloured outfits to perform hits like S Club Party and Don't Stop Movin', before leaving the stage when video of Paul singing Good Times was played.

They reappeared in black sequinned costumes to accompany him on vocals at the end of the track before each paying their own tributes to him and their fans.

Jo O'Meara told the crowd: "Thank you so much [for] all the messages and love and support you've all shown all of us and to Paul's family.

"We are so grateful for every single one of you," Jo added before asking fans to make heart shapes with their hands "for our Paul".

Jon Lee said: "Thank you so much, it's very special for us this evening obviously, we dedicate this performance to Paul and to the British Heart Foundation so thank you so much for being here."

Rachel Stevens said: "Thank you so much from the bottom of our hearts for all the love and support, all the incredible messages you've sent through this time, and all your support always. We love you so much."

Tina Barrett added: "Thank you so much Manchester. Tonight is a celebration so let's bring it all back for Paul." They then sang their 1999 debut single Bring It All Back.

It was a poignant moment in an otherwise feelgood and energetic return to the stage.

Jo told the crowd: "This is so exciting for us, we're so grateful that we can still stand here and do this all these years later so thanks so much to every one of you."

Hits like Reach, Have You Ever and Never Had A Dream Come True took an enthusiastic audience back to what feels like a more innocent era.

They also played their first new song for 20 years, These Are The Days, which came out in July. "We dedicated this song to Paul and all of the memories that we shared," Bradley told fans.

They finished the night by aiming to prove there still ain't no party like an S Club Party by playing that song for a second time, this time as a dance remix.

The original was one of the 11 UK top 10 hits the group enjoyed between 1999 and 2003.

Hannah recently told the Sun she had been excited about the reunion, but "everything changed" after Paul's death, and she struggled with her ­mental and physical health.

"It gave me time to reflect on whether it was the right thing for me to do," she told the paper.

"I hadn't been in the best of health - I've got a compromised immune system and stress makes it worse.

"My body just couldn't cope with everything that was happening. I wasn't myself. I was getting these crippling panic attacks, was suffering from really bad vertigo and was tired all the time."

She added: "The more I started to think about what it was that I wanted, the more I realised that I just couldn't go back. It was causing me a great deal of stress."

Hannah has instead signed up to take part in the next series of ITV's Dancing on Ice.

Her bandmates will begin their tour in earnest in Liverpool on Friday before 13 more dates including a return to Manchester and three shows at London's O2.