Britpop stars Space back on road with Blackpool show at The Layton Concert Hall

The band, who scored a massive hit with Female of the Species in 1996, recently reformed and celebrate their new lease of life with a show at The Layton Concert Hall on Saturday, March 23.

The new line-up reunited original members Tommy, Jamie and Franny back together for the first time in 10 years.

They were joined by the other members of Tommy’s band Tommy Scott and the Red Scare; Phil Hartley (Bass / Double Bass), Ryan Clarke (Vintage Keys) and Allan Jones (Drums).

Space’s return was cemented with a big reunion gig at the O2 Academy Liverpool. The show was a quick sell-out, and gave fans and early taste of the band’s new material and sound.

The band secured a recording contract with Gut Records who released their first single, ‘Money’ in 1995. The single ‘Neighbourhood’ followed in 1996 but it was not until the release of their next single, ‘Female of the Species’, that they achieved popular acclaim.

This song was also the theme song to the UK television series Cold Feet.

Their debut album Spiders, released in September 1996, enjoyed success and went platinum in the UK.

A tour of the US followed in mid-1997 which was less successful than many had hoped, with stories of homesickness and in Murphy’s case a severe nervous breakdown, as well as Scott losing his voice for two months.

The new record, entitled Tin Planet, was a more mature, focused release than Spiders and was issued in spring 1998, hitting number three in the UK Albums Chart.

Like its predecessor, it became a success, but it did upset some fans due to its more softer, pop-friendly songs and the lack of the much more aggressive tracks found on Spiders.

In late 1998, for a Honda advertisement, Space recorded a version of The Animals’ “We Gotta Get out of This Place”, which was featured on The Bad Days EP. The band also recorded a track together with singer Tom Jones for his album Reload, released in 1999.