How Five Kept On Moving: In a searingly honest chat the 90s icons reveal how they came back from ‘rock bottom’ and their VERY choice words for former mentor Simon Cowell as they reunite after 25 years

Once known as ‘the bad boys of pop’, Five were as well known for their rambunctious attitude as their catchy top 10 hits. 

The band, formed of Sean Conlon, Ritchie Neville, Scott Robinson, Abz Love and Jason ‘J’ Brown, proved to be a pop juggernaut of the Nineties, selling more than 20 million records worldwide and making history as the only UK act to hit the Top 10 with all of 11 singles.

So naturally, fans were left devastated when the group disbanded in 2001 after a whirlwind four-year burst of fame. 

In the years that followed, they went on to reform with various lineups, gigging in smaller venues in the UK but never as the five-piece that saw them hit the big time. 

That is, until now. 

25 years on and Five have reformed, J having made the decision to return to the band, with the group heading off on a UK tour later this year.

With it being a quarter of a century since they burst into the limelight, I’m not quite sure what to expect when Five come to the Mail offices. 

Now a group of men in their late 40s, some of whom have settled down with wives and children, I’m intrigued to see where they see themselves in todays boyband landscape. 

Arguably, the scene is dominated by older groups now anyway. Among those drawing in the biggest crowds are the likes of Take That, Blue and McFly. 

So is that why Five suddenly felt the need to reform after all this time? 

That’s not the case, insists Scott, 45, who reveals that talks of a reunion had been happening for years but never came to fruition. 

‘Suddenly, we’re all aligned now,’ he explains. ‘We’re all in the same place, we all want it at the same time. 

‘Something clicked and we understood that any negative feelings that we had between each other were whatever. 

‘We were just vulnerable children, and we weren’t all to blame. So we forgive each other for anything that happened.’ 

The chemistry between the group is undeniable. 

At times I find it hard to get a word in edgewise as they crack jokes, mock one another and even start playfighting. 

They may be 25 years older than when they last performed together, but it doesn’t seem like much has changed between them.  

With that in mind, I’m keen to know if their past experience as a band has impacted how they tackle the tour this time around. 

It’s clear they still hold the scars from their first brush with fame, with the group having touched on feeling like a product and struggling with their mental health in the documentary Boybands Forever. 

Abz, 45, admits he has mixed feelings about their past, confessing: ‘As controversial as it may sound, if we could do it all again, I’d do it all differently. 

‘I don’t mean it in a bad way, I mean in the sense of why would I do it all the same? 

‘There’s nothing I regret – I think it’s made us who we are and what we are. You have to touch that rock bottom to know that the only way out is.’ 

It’s been well documented now that boybands were worked to a point of physical and mental exhaustion in the Nineties. 

Asked what ‘rock bottom’ meant for them, Ritchie, 45, looks pained as he explains: ‘The band took so much emotionally out of us.’ 

While Scott adds: ‘It was a very difficult psychological test.’

The band’s mental health struggles have been well documented over the years.   

Sean, 43, was the first member to leave in August 2001 after suffering a mental breakdown from stress and depression.

Before that, Scott secretly wanted to leave after having similar mental health issues, but stayed on until the band officially folded in September 2001.

Explaining how they’ve put boundaries in place to protect their mental health this time around, Scott shares: ‘We have more respect for each other’s feelings. 

‘You know, I never used to understand when Abz was quiet. One day, he’d be really loud, and we’d be like best friends, and the next day wouldn’t speak to me. 

‘I wouldn’t understand that so I’d take that to heart. Whereas now I understand Abz better as a human being, and I know that sometimes he needs that space. Now I give him that space that he deserves.’

It’s not just their attitude that has changed, but the world itself, as Ritchie muses: ‘I feel the industry’s changed. It seems a kinder place.’ 

‘We’re grown men now as well,’ J, 48, says. ‘We understand ourselves a lot better, and we’re working on ourselves and our own minds.’ 

Sean, 43, is in agreeance, as he adds: ‘We massively appreciate what we’ve got. 

‘It’s not that we were arrogant or big headed the first time around, we were just too young.

‘We never had time to stop and really embrace what we’d done and what we had, now we’ve had time to process it. We never thought we’d have this opportunity again.’

The dark side of Nineties boybands was explored in last year’s Boybands Forever, in which Five offered up their experiences in the industry. 

In the same documentary, Simon Cowell – who signed the band – was dismissive of many of the bands’ plights, noting that if you didn’t want to deal with the downside of fame you shouldn’t get into the industry in the first place.

Hitting back at the media mogul’s indifferent attitude, Ritchie muses: ‘My only response to that is, how can you when you’re 15. 17, or 20 years old, even conceive what those pressures could possibly be? 

‘All you see is the dream that you’re sold, you’re going to be a pop star or whatever – you can’t possibly know. 

‘The support in those days, wasn’t there – whether that’s psychological support or whatever, it does seem to be there now.’ 

Weighing in with an alternative opinion, Abz shares: ‘On the flip side I think thank you for the opportunity as well. 

‘We’re on both sides of the of the argument. But yeah, there is also that. So I don’t get it from Yeah, it’s just weird. It’s just a strange feeling.’ 

Taking any criticism in his stride, Sean laughs: ‘We took his advice! We couldn’t take the pressure so we got out!’  

It’s clear that the band are in a stable place mentally and seem genuinely excited to get back out on tour. 

Although of course there will be cynics who see their reunion as nothing more of a money making exercise. 

Yet as J muses: ‘If this was about the money, we’d have done it ages ago!’ 

And it’s hard to argue with Scott’s logic as he laughs: ‘You don’t wait 25 years for a smash and grab!’ 

Tickets to Five’s Keep On Movin’ 2025 Tour are available at www.itsfiveoffical.com