Town popstars ready for return to the big time (From Warrington Guardian)

Town popstars ready for return to the big time

1:20pm Thursday 31st January 2013 in News

BACK flips, breakdancing and somersaults are all in a day’s work for boyband member Simon ‘Spike’ Dawbarn as he prepares to get back on stage with 911.

The former William Beamont High School pupil will be taking viewers back to the 90s as he lines up alongside fellow Smash Hits favourites Five, B*witched, Honeyz, Atomic Kitten and Liberty X for new ITV2 show The Big Reunion.

The ‘warts and all’ documentary looks back over the bands’ pasts before all six groups perform on stage again at the Apollo in London.

And the 38-year-old admits it really has felt like a reunion as fellow Warrington star Kerry Katona, from Atomic Kitten had her first dance class with Spike as teacher and he grew up with Jay from Five, who has now pulled out of the reunion show.

The Bodyshakin’ singer, who saw 911 split in 2000, said: “It’s been a good laugh but a bit manic at times and there’s been a lot of parties.

“It would have been brilliant if there was three of us from Warrington on the show and I knew Jay from family parties.

“I was going to ask him to be in 911 but he was into underground rap at that time.

“Kerry is a proper laugh and it looks like she’s really enjoying it and dead happy to be back with the Kittens.”

The former dance teacher, who set up Popskool in 2004, lost nearly two stone before he got back into rehearsals in September so he was in shape to perform the gymnastic dance moves the band were famous for.

He added: “It’s been a long road getting back into it and I’ve broken my finger, my ankle is done in and I landed on my face doing a back flip but hopefully we will be able to pull if off.

“I got a buzz off seeing people from my pop school doing well but there’s nothing like doing it yourself.”

The father to Phoenix, aged four, is ensuring his son is kept out of the limelight during filming for the programme and will not be allowed to watch the programme as there is ‘too much effing and jeffing’.

He added: “He was made up when he saw the advert for the programme and I told Jess (from Liberty X and wife of England cricketer Kevin Pietersen) he was a big cricket fan and Kevin sent over a signed bat for him.

“Everyone has been getting on well and as a band we have been closer than we have ever been before.”

Catch Spike on ITV2 tonight, Thursday, at 9pm.