Highlights
- Hear'Say and Liberty X will play 13 UK and Ireland arena dates from April 17 to May 9, 2027, on a tour called Popstars: The Originals
- Four of Hear'Say's five original members return: Danny Foster, Kym Marsh, Suzanne Shaw and Noel Sullivan. Myleene Klass is not taking part
- Liberty X return with all five members: Michelle Heaton, Jessica Taylor, Tony Lundon, Kevin Simm and Kelli Young
- A pre-sale opens at 9am BST on Wednesday, October 14 for fans who register, with general sale at 9am BST on Friday, October 16
The announcement
Hear'Say and Liberty X have confirmed a joint arena tour of the UK and Ireland for April and May 2027, 25 years after ITV's Popstars created both groups. The 13-date run opens at Dublin's 3Arena on April 17 and finishes at Liverpool's M&S Bank Arena on May 9. Promoters bill it as the only place fans can see the two bands perform together on the same stage.
Tour dates
| Date | City | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| Sat, April 17 | Dublin | 3Arena |
| Sun, April 18 | Belfast | SSE Arena |
| Tue, April 20 | Bournemouth | BIC |
| Wed, April 21 | Nottingham | Motorpoint Arena |
| Sun, April 25 | Brighton | Brighton Centre |
| Wed, April 28 | Cardiff | Utilita Arena |
| Sat, May 1 | Birmingham | BP Pulse Arena |
| Sun, May 2 | Leeds | First Direct Arena |
| Tue, May 4 | Newcastle | Utilita Arena |
| Wed, May 5 | Glasgow | Hydro |
| Fri, May 7 | London | The O2 |
| Sat, May 8 | Manchester | AO Arena |
| Sun, May 9 | Liverpool | M&S Bank Arena |
The O2 lists "special guests" for the London date. Fans who register with either band get access to the pre-sale on October 14, and remaining tickets go on general sale on October 16.
Who's in, and who's out
Hear'Say return without one of their original five. Myleene Klass said on Loose Women on October 5 that the group had included her in the discussions, but that "it's not something I can commit to at the moment." The band's new official account teased the reunion in the days before the announcement with a WhatsApp-style group chat, in which Noel Sullivan asked, "Fancy getting the band back together?"
Liberty X are back at full strength. Heaton, Taylor and Young have performed as a trio since 2017, so the tour brings back Kevin Simm, who won The Voice UK in 2016, and Tony Lundon.
In their announcement, Hear'Say called the reunion "incredibly special to all of us," while Liberty X said it was hard to believe 25 years had passed "since Popstars changed all of our lives."
How two bands began
Popstars drew audiences of more than 10 million in 2001. Judges Nigel Lythgoe, Paul Adam and Nicki Chapman cut thousands of hopefuls to ten finalists and chose five to form Hear'Say. The five who missed out formed Liberty, later Liberty X.
Hear'Say were an instant sensation. Their debut single "Pure and Simple" went straight to number one, selling just under 550,000 copies, the fastest of any debut single at the time. Their album Popstars sold 306,631 copies in a week and made them the first act to top the singles and albums charts at once with debut releases. They scored two number ones and four top-10 singles in all.
The bubble burst quickly. Marsh left in January 2002 after conflicts within the group and was replaced by Johnny Shentall. Hear'Say split on October 1, 2002, saying they had suffered "abuse from the public."
Liberty X, mocked as "Flopstars" at the start, went on to outshine them. After losing a High Court passing-off case to an earlier band called Liberty, they asked readers of The Sun to suggest a new name. "Just a Little" reached number one in 2002 and was that year's ninth best-selling single, and they notched ten consecutive UK top-20 hits. They split in 2007 and reunited in 2013 for ITV2's The Big Reunion.
25 Years later… HEAR’SAY x LIBERTY XThe stars of the groundbreaking 'Popstars' TV talent show reunite at @AOArena for the unmissable Popstars: The Originals Tour.💚 For early access to tickets, join today: https://t.co/SotK6P0BRMAO ARENA PRE 15 OCT 9AMONSALE 16 OCT 9AM https://t.co/cdLL9qWTLa
— AO Arena (@AOArena) October 8, 2026
Where they are now
Marsh is an actor who appeared on Strictly Come Dancing in 2022 and in the Waterloo Road revival. Shaw won Dancing on Ice in 2008 and works in musical theatre. Sullivan is a West End performer and theatre coach, and Foster appeared on The Voice UK in 2013 and fronts Danny Foster & The Big Soul Corporation. Klass is a television and radio presenter.
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