HE was just 17, recruited to be part of one of the biggest British boybands, mobbed by screaming teenagers and earning more than people twice his age – so it wouldn’t have been a shock if Scott Robinson had let himself go a little wild.

But the Pitsea singer, part of newly-reunited 5ive, credits his wife – then girlfriend, Kerry, – for keeping him centred during the group’s Nineties heyday.

Scott, along with his bandmates, has just announced a headline tour, including a date at the Cliffs Pavilion, Westcliff, in November. Recalling the old days, he says: “We had an army of fans, but I had my girlfriend all through the band. She kept me grounded and I ended up marrying her.”

The pair met as teenagers as their parents went out to the same social club in Pitsea. Scott still lives with Kerry and their two sons, Brennan and Kavan, in Pitsea.

Although 5ive split in 2001, they were persuaded back together for ITV2 series the Reunion, which saw them join the ranks of Liberty X, Atomic Kitten, Blue, 911, B*Witched and Honeyz to reunite on-screen, rehearse and step back out on stage.

The series, which aired earlier this year, led to a headline tour for the band, and Scott says the timing was just right.

However, they’re now a four-piece after former member Jay Brown decided he wanted nothing more to do with life in the spotlight. The band attempted an ill-fated reunion in 2006, only to give up on the venture.

“It was never going to work last time we tried to reunite,” admits Scott, 33. “No one was mentally or physically ready to do it. I was probably the only one who wanted to do it properly.

“The other boys didn’t even want to sing the old songs, they hadn’t completely embraced 5ive again. You need to be at a good point in your lives.” It was different this time round however.

Scott says: “We didn’t even see each other for a long time. I’d been filming for a few months before seeing the boys.

“We met up for the first time on camera and just told the truth. I think that really helped us, people can see if you’re lying or if you’re making up drama, we just wanted to keep it real.”

It’s a different industry these days, and it’s strange for Scott to look back on the Nineties, a decade that saw girl and boy pop groups dominate the charts, led by the likes of the Spice Girls, Take That, Boyzone and then, of course, outfits like Ant and Dec, Blue, 911 and 5ive.

Scott auditioned for the band after seeing an interview in the Stage magazine, and says the process was like X Factor– but not on TV and a little less dramatic.

He got the job along with Abz Love, Sean Conlon, Ritchie Neville and Jay Brown. The group was the the brainchild of Bob and Chris Herbert who created the Spice Girls and billed the act initially as the Spice Boys.

It was always going to mean success for the lads who made it through. Scott says: “I often think had I not have gone for the audition or not got through what would my life have been like.

“I always wonder what I would have done in my life if I’d been sent down a different path. “It was an amazing journey, I was 17 and thrust into fame fairly quickly. It was always going to be a big band, it looked like it was never going to fail.”

Suddenly Scott and the boys were famous, trailing fans, winning Brit and MTV awards, appearing on Top of the Pops and living life in the spotlight. They had hits with classics, including debut single Slam Dunk (Da Funk), When the Lights Go Out, Everybody Get Up and If Ya Gettin’ Down.

The winning formula looked set to last, but in 2000 the band were dropped from their US label and cancelled an Asian tour after complications with their Asian record company.

They started work on their next album, but all was not well, Sean was suffering a breakdown caused by stress from the heavy schedule, Scott had problems of his own as Kerry gave birth to their first son Brennan six weeks prematurely, and as the three remaining members struggled to hold it together, Ritchie tore the tendons in his foot, putting the kibosh on touring. The band decided to call it day, and it looked like 5ive’s days were numbered.

Now reunited and all set to be on the road again, Scott says he can’t wait to be back in Essex for the Westcliff date in November.

“It’s pretty amazing,” he admits. “We’re just about to embark on the Big Reunion tour and then we’ve got the headline tour.

“I definitely want to bring all my mates down to Southend to watch me perform.

“I never thought that day would come when 5ive would have their own tour again. I thought those days were long gone.”

 

5ive
Cliffs Pavilion, Station Road,
Westcliff. November 23.
Tickets are available from: www.gigsandtours.com or call
01702 351135