THE UK:"Girl Power" is back with the announcement that the Spice Girls, who topped charts in the late 1990s, are reuniting for a tour and greatest hits album.
The 11-city tour - which starts in Los Angeles and ends in Buenos Aires - does not include a Dublin date.
Ginger, Sporty, Posh, Scary and a heavily pregnant Baby Spice told a press conference in London yesterday that the tour would take place in December and January and would be accompanied by a television documentary about the band.
"Girl power is back - we're going on the road, we're touring the world," Emma "Baby Spice" Bunton said in a promotional video shown to the press before the five appeared on stage at London's 02 arena.
When asked why she dropped her previous resistance to a reunion, Melanie "Sporty Spice" Chisholm replied: "A girl's allowed to change her mind. This is something that we've only seriously started discussing this year."
Geri "Ginger Spice" Halliwell added: "For me it's about celebrating the past, enjoying each other, it's about our fans. It felt the right time - it's kind of now or never."
The Spice Girls boasted album sales of 55 million during their meteoric career, and hits including Wannabe and Say You'll Be There topped charts across the globe. But their success was shortlived. Halliwell walked out on the band in 1998, and the remaining members went their separate ways in 2000.
Victoria "Posh Spice" Beckham added: "Take That are starting up again. For us we're celebrating the past, we're going to do a small tour and then that's probably going to be it." - (Reuters)