There’s plenty of love for Sporty Spice at Sydney’s Enmore Theatre tonight. The crowd is buzzing, the merch desk is doing a roaring trade and T-shirts emblazoned with Sporty Says Sweat are flying off the stand. Spice Girls shirts are everywhere, and the atmosphere is one big celebration.
Opening the evening is Cassandra Henderson, who takes to the stage alone, guitar in hand, and quickly wins over the crowd. Armed with a confident voice and an easy stage presence, Henderson has the audience eating out of her hand. Covers of Lily Allen and Chappell Roan get everyone singing along, making for a cracking start to the night.
Then it’s time for Melanie C, and there’s no mistaking the affection in the room. Three decades after the Spice Girls took over the world, Sporty Spice remains a much-loved pop figure, but tonight is also about an artist who has built a substantial solo career on her own terms.
Her ninth studio album, Sweat, released in May, is a full-throttle celebration of dance music, drawing on her early days in the Costa Brava rave scene. Recorded across London, Stockholm and Los Angeles, the album brings together her love of club culture, pop and the dancefloor.
And that’s exactly the spirit Melanie C brings to the Enmore. There’s an infectious sense of fun about the evening, with an audience that’s clearly here to dance, sing and have a bloody good time.
From Spice Girl to solo artist and DJ, Melanie C has spent 30 years refusing to stand still. Tonight, Sydney is more than happy to keep up.
Images Deb Pelser
