TGtS Meets...B*Witched

Eleven years after splitting up the B*Witched girls are back together and better than ever thanks to The Big Reunion. TGtS spoke to band members Keavy and Sinéad ahead of their gig at The Big Summer Session.

Are you looking forward to reuniting on stage with the girls again to perform in Swindon? What can we expect?

Sinéad: I've loved being back together with the girls, The Big Summer Session will be the first time that we've performed together since appearing on The Big Reunion tour. We'll be performing all of the classics that we sang on tour plus our new single 'Love and Money' - Its been a while since we were last on stage though, so I'm a little worried that I'm a bit out of practice!

Keavy: It's going to be a massive trip down memory lane - I'm so excited! It's going to be so much fun. The fans can expect a high energy performance plus an exclusive listen to our brand new single. Although we performed it at a small gig in Dublin, it will be the first time that we've performed it in the UK. As well as Love and Money we'll be entertaining the crowd with some of our old hits too. C'est la vie is my favourite song to perform, it's crazy being on stage and listening to the crowd singing it back to you, it really gets the fans going.

We're really excited to listen to your new single live! How would you describe it to fans?

Sinéad: Love and Money is very different to anything that we've released before, it's got a bit of a Katy Perry vibe to it. It's up tempo and really current, so I'm excited to hear what people think. 

Keavy: I know it sounds silly, but it's a lot more grown-up than some of our older material. We haven't confirmed a release date for the new single yet but hopefully it will be out by the end of year. We're a lot busier with families and husbands etc than we used to be so we've been juggling our hectic schedules and working on a new album, which will hopefully be out soon too.  

Was getting back together an easy decision to make?

Sinéad: For me it was a no brainer! I always felt like we'd get back together one day so when ITV approached us to appear on The Big Reunion, I jumped at the chance. Although I couldn't wait to get back on stage, some of the other girls took a lot more convincing. I couldn't believe that we'd been given this great platform to re-launch our careers. Because other bands were involved with the project too, it felt like there was no risk and we could really have some fun.

Keavy: I was happy and content before the show, so it took me a good 8 months before I decided that it was the right thing to do, I was so settled with my routine and family life that I didn't want to ruin what I had, I knew that by reforming the group my life would change dramatically. 

Before you took part in The Big Reunion what were you up to?

Sinéad: After leaving the group I perused a number of solo projects before I started my search for Ireland's next big girl band. For a brief period of time I managed a group of girls called Minx, they were a bit like a female Busted. I also took part in a couple of acting projects and most recently have been doing some presenting work. 

Keavy: I've actually been studying, I went back to college and got a degree and diploma in counselling - it certainly comes in handy when the girls are squabbling! 

What's the best thing about being back together?

Sinéad: I feel like we've all gotten really close again, which is lovely. Touring was so much fun! We all got to hang together and reconnect.

Keavy: This time around there's no pressure, we're all having fun, gigging and just really enjoying ourselves. I never thought I'd be back on stage again performing to thousands of people, so I'm so grateful. Nothing beats that special feeling that you get inside when you perform live.

We have to ask you about your love of double denim! Do you ever look back and cringe at some of your outfit choices?

Sinéad: We've never double denimed since! Everything comes back into fashion eventually though doesn't it? We always get so much stick for our love of denim but I guess that we wouldn't have been B*Witched without it. I have to admit, we wore a few denim pieces during The Big Reunion tour but nothing major like in the nineties. 

Keavy: I never cringe but I do think "Oh God, what was I thinking?". I was quite happy with the double denim 'uniform' though. I was grateful that I had something comfy to wear while shuffling between interviews, gigs and public appearances. People may laugh but it's still trendy you know.

Whats been the highlight of your career so far?

Sinéad: For me it has to be singing at The Royal Variety Performance, I grew up watching the show on telly, so to be asked to take part was a childhood dream come true. Another highlight has to be our first number one, C'st La Vie stormed the charts and even knocked Celine Dion off of the top spot which was just insane. 

Keavy: Our UK arena tour was a real milestone for me, all of the girls were heavily involved with all of the creative aspects of the tour from the choreography to the set design, so I was really proud when it all came together. The fact that we'd achieved so much and were performing songs that we'd written live every night was mind blowing.

Did you get on well with your fellow Big Reunion bands?

Sinéad: It was like one giant party! It was an amazing show to be a part of. It will be great to catch up with everybody properly when we're in Swindon, we haven't seen lots of the acts since we were on tour together. I hope that we're all staying at the same hotel, imagine how crazy that would be!

Keavy: I've not got any backstage gossip to report unfortunately. Everyone got on really well and there weren't any bust ups. I think a lot of the other acts realised how lucky they were to be there and wanted to make the most of the opportunity that they'd been given. It was pretty chilled on tour, no rock star antics.

Did you keep much of your B*Witched memorabilia?

Sinéad: I don't personally, but my mums got boxes of the B*Witched memorabilia in her attic. The dolls were the scariest things that you've ever seen! They never really look like who they're supposed to look anyway but ours were something else.

Keavy: You name it, I've got it!