Popstars: The Originals

Hear'Say and Liberty X are coming to the Brighton Centre on Sunday 25 April 2027, as part of a UK and Ireland arena tour called Popstars: The Originals. The two bands emerged from the first series of the ITV talent show Popstars back in 2000, and this tour marks 25 years since the show first aired. It's billed as the only place you'll see both perform together on the same stage, and the tour is expected to reach a combined audience of over 150,000.

There's a bit of history to the pairing. Hear'Say won the first series and went straight to number one with their debut single 'Pure and Simple', with their debut album going triple platinum. Liberty X came second, but they turned that into one of pop's biggest success stories of the era: 'Just A Little' became one of the defining songs of the decade, alongside 'Got to Have Your Love' and 'Being Nobody'. Both groups were part of the same television competition, but they went their separate ways from there, so this is the first time they'll be sharing a bill.

Beyond the two bands, Popstars itself holds a fair bit of weight in the pop landscape. It was the first show of its kind on British television, and it paved the way for later groups like One Direction, Little Mix, Girls Aloud and JLS. If you remember the early 2000s, you'll probably remember the show as much as the bands it produced.

Doors open at 6:30pm at the Brighton Centre, and tickets start from £69.95.