Spice Girls reunite for world tour

Jun 28, 2007, 15:47 GMT

Back together again.....former Spice Girls band members (L-R) Victoria Beckham, Melanie Chisholm, Geri Halliwell, Emma Bunton, Melanie Brown answer questions during a press conference held at the 02 Arena, formerly called the Millenium Dome, in east London where they announced a reunion. They will release a new album and plan a world tour. EPA/EPA

London - The Spice Girls - Britain's all-girl band phenomenon of the 1990s - Thursday announced their long-awaited reunion and said they were planning a new album and a world tour later this year.

The group, which includes Victoria Beckham, made the comeback announcement at a news conference in London, saying it was their way of 'saying thank you' to their fans.

Beckham (Posh Spice), Geri Halliwell (Ginger Spice), Mel Brown (Scary Spice), Mel Chisholm (Sporty Spice) and Emma Bunton (Baby Spice) first exploded on to the pop scene in the mid-1990s with their first single, Wannabe.

The 'girl power' band split up in 2001, and has sold more than 55 million records. Now all in their 30s, they have six children among them.

'We are certainly going to have creches everywhere we go,' Beckham, the former Victoria Adams, said Thursday.

Geri Halliwell, who prompted the split by walking out in 1998, confirmed that the reunion is not going to be for good.

'This is going to be a one-night stand,' she said.

Mel C, who had vowed 'never' to take part in a reunion, said: 'A girl's allowed to change her mind.'

The girls promised to sing all their classical hits during the 11-dates tour of six continents, kicking off in Los Angeles on December 7.

After Las Vegas and New York, they will stage concerts in London, Cologne, Madrid, Beijing, Hong Kong, Sydney, Cape Town and Buenos Aires.

A greatest hits album would be released before Christmas, they announced.

At the height of their 1990s success, the group exercised their 'girl power' by replacing their manager and signing up with Simon Fuller, the famous pop manager who has masterminded their comeback.

Wannabe, released in 1996, became the biggest-selling single by an all-female group.

It was followed by a string of number ones, with songs like Say You'll Be There, and 2 Become 1.

Their debut album, Spice, made them the fastest-selling British act since the Beatles, and the band - particularly Geri Halliwell's Union flag dress - epitomised 'Cool Britannia' in the aftermath of Labour's 1997 election victory.

The Spice Girls were also one of the few British bands to conquer the US.

They became one of the most marketed bands in history by endorsing a range of products, everything from deodorant to dolls and chocolate.

The band proclaimed ex-prime minister Margaret Thatcher as the original Spice Girl, and generated headlines around the world when they met Nelson Mandela and Queen Elizabeth II.