Jess got back to town… (From Bournemouth Echo)

Jess got back to town…

7:00am Saturday 27th February 2010 in

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THE last time Jess Stickley performed live in Bournemouth she was only 13 years old.

Tonight, aged 19, she’s set to perform in front of friends, family and the people of Bournemouth for the first time since she became a member of rising new girl band Girls Can’t Catch.

“I was at an under-18s event at the Opera House (now the O2 Academy) with my friends, and the DJ asked if anybody wanted to come up on stage and sing or dance,” recalls Jess.

“I just acted on impulse and jumped on stage, which is really unlike me.

“I asked the DJ if I could sing and he cut the music.

“I sang an acapella version of Lady Marmalade.”

Six years on and she’s back as one third of a successful group that has already notched up two top 40 singles and various impressive arena performances, including Wembley Stadium, as support to the Jonas Brothers and Girls Aloud.

“The last year has been such an experience and change of lifestyle for me,” says Jess.

“It was a bit of a shock to the system at first. I’ve really grown up a lot, because I’ve had to.”

Before Jess joined the band, she had never even taken a train on her own before.

“I remember the first time I said goodbye to my dad on the platform. I was so nervous!” she says.

“Since then, though, that has been a regular journey.

“I stayed in a hotel on my own in London for a few months while we recorded the album, and had to learn to use the Tube everyday.”

For the past few months, Girls Can’t Catch have been touring nightclubs across the UK ahead of their album release later this year.

“I’ve been to places I’d never seen before, like Manchester and Liverpool.

“And I got to see Dublin for the first time when we played the O2 Arena over there.”

Having only arrived home in Verwood at 5am after a gig in Staffordshire, Jess could be forgiven for being a little tired or grumpy – but she’s still the same bubbly down-to-earth girl I met in December.

“I spend all my days off back here,” she says. “I often meet up with my girlfriends, go for walks on the beach or round to my grandparents’ house – my nan makes amazing lunches.

“I do a lot of travelling for gigs and events in London, but I still really want to live here, so I’m happy to do it.”

Following the success of the single Echo, Jess was invited back to her old school, Ferndown Upper, to meet current students.

“As we drove up there, I thought, ‘Oh no, what if there’s no one there’. But there were loads of people, and I was signing copies of the single and iPods – which was really surreal.”

Despite having played Wembley several times in the past year, Jess confesses she still feels nervous before each gig, and expects tonight to be no different.

“In fact, I think I’ll be even more nervous than normal because all my family and friends from school are coming along.

“When my family came to watch us perform at the Jazz Café, they were so loud, and I just kept laughing the whole time on stage. It was brilliant!”