Back in 1999, my most prized possessions included an Alba CD player, a copy of the latest Smash Hits magazine and the ‘Invincible‘ album by Five. The cover sleeve included a little booklet of song lyrics with exclusive pictures and interviews with the band.
I circled all the pictures of Scott Robinson with a love heart and I was convinced that we’d get married one day (obvs). Most of the girls in my class at primary school were hardcore Steps and Spice Girls lovers, I, on the other hand, was a Five kinda gal. I had a giaaaant poster of them in my room which came free in Top Of The Pops magazine. Those. Were. The. Days.
So when the PR team representing Mecca Bingo* reached out to me asking if I’d like to come along to review their ‘Rewind to the 90s‘ night, I couldn’t say yes fast enough. Several games of bingo, a live performance from Five?!?! and then a live set from a band who sing only the very best cheesy tunes from the 90s. Count me in!
We were all very passionate about winning the bingo jackpot.
I roped in my best mate Hannah and my other half Adam (all 90s kids) and headed down to Mecca Bingo Birkenhead to live out all of 7-year-old Hollie’s dreams. Could a Friday night get any better?
Bingo books and dabbers at the ready!
Inside the Birkenhead Mecca Bingo hall, there are loads of seats available (I think it seats 500 people?!) with a special VIP area right next to the stage which is cordoned off for VIP members. There are also 2 different bars selling all the usual goodies including cocktails, spirits, wine, soft drinks and my personal fave, blue WKD lol. There is also a station serving hot drinks and a food cart selling fast food such as burgers, chips, hot dogs and nachos.
Unfortunately, the food wasn’t great on the particular night we went, however, we had to eat something as we’d all been at work all day and were starving, so we made the best of it with a hotdog!
Our food/drink experience sadly didn’t get any better though as one member of Mecca staff was really rude to us regarding our food/drink vouchers and their validity, which was a shame as I had gone down to review the experience! Cold food and rude staff aside, nothing could spoil our (my) excitement for seeing Five and also trying to win that full-house jackpot!
After the bingo (which sadly we didn’t win, boo) came the main event. With the lights dimmed and glow stick jewellery on, we (Okay, me and Hannah) were ready to paaarrtaaay! I was surprised to see that Five are now indeed 3, though we still have Richie Neville, Scott Robinson and Sean Conlon. Richie hasn’t aged at all and Scott, well he’ll always be bae.
Want a trip down memory lane?
Five singing all their 90s/00s hits at Mecca Bingo Birkenhead
00:00-00:20 | Intro
00:20- 1:00 | We Will Rock You
1:00-1:36 | Got the Feelin’
1:36- 2:11 | If ya gettin’ down
2:11 -2:23 | Let’s Dance
2:23 – :2:43 | Baby When The Lights Go Out
2:43-3:10 | Keep On Movin’
We had such a fun night filled with heaps of nostalgia and I have to say, I’d forgotten how much rap and attitude Five had!? Definitely not the squeaky clean Westlife vibes I remember!
The band who covered the 90s songs were also fab, really high energy and of course, they treated us to a song that always reminds me of ‘walking into HD Sports Bar’ back in Wakefield town where I’m from. Big up Robin S – ‘Show me love’.
A big thanks to Mecca Bingo for inviting us along!
Mecca Bingo clubs across the UK are now offering more fun live entertainment and events, so be sure to check out what’s going on at your local Mecca Bingo club. I’m pretty sure I heard that S Club 7 will be touring the Mecca Bingo clubs in the summer, so if you’re a 90s kid like me with ALL the nostalgic vibes, keep a lookout for tickets for that on Skiddle.
*AD This is a paid collaboration with Mecca Bingo. My experience was gifted by Mecca Bingo and I am being paid by Mecca Bingo to tell you about the Five event. As always, all opinions are my own.
