Wham's Pepsi reveals band rehearsed in George Michael's mum's living room before Scots gig

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Pepsi went from rehearsing dance routines in George Michael’s mum’s living room to ­performing to screaming fans at Wham’s first ever gigs.The would-be backing singer was plucked from obscurity to replace Dee C Lee who quit the pop band for The Style Council in 1983.It was just before George and Andrew Ridgeley’s first tour, the Club Fantastic Tour which began in Aberdeen and would launch them as the UK’s top pop band.Pepsi, 64, real name Helen DeMacque, recalled: “We’d a few weeks of rehearsals so I felt prepared with the dance routines and song set.

What I wasn’t prepared for was the screams of the Scottish audience. They were so loud I could just about hear the band.“What I also remember was the audience singing all the words to the Wham hits.

The Scots can sing.”Pepsi teamed up with Shirlie Holliman and they became as famous as the boys during the rollercoaster ride.They cracked America, became the first western act to play China and signed off in 1986 before George went solo and the girls launched themselves as a duo.Despite the boys and Shirlie being longtime friends, they made Pepsi welcome straight away which helped calm the Londoner’s nerves at being thrust into the pop limelight.The Club Fantastic Tour kicked off in Scotland with two nights in Aberdeen followed by Edinburgh Playhouse and the famous Glasgow Apollo.Pepsi said: “I never felt nervous because I was made to feel so welcomed into the Wham family.

It was the first time I’d ever been in Scotland. As well as the fans, I remember we had a football match in Scotland with Altered Images.“It was a lot of fun.