Spice Girls give fans a thrill (+photos)

The Spice Girls perform at the closing ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics. Photo / AP

Fans never thought they would see the Spice Girls perform together again after the most successful ever girl group called it a day.

But "girl power" reigned over the Olympic Stadium as the quintet reformed once more.

Geri Halliwell, Emma Bunton, Victoria Beckham, Mel Chisholm and Mel Brown emerged out of five black cabs, fashioned to the style of each singer.

One cab was baby pink, one had sporty stripes, another had posh diamante the next was adorned as the union flag - reminiscent of Halliwell's famous Brit awards attire - and the final cab was covered in animal print.

The band performed their debut single Wannabe before they paraded around the arena on top of the cabs while singing Spice Up Your Life.

It is 16 years since the band's meteoric rise to fame.

They exploded onto the pop scene in 1996 with the song Wannabe. The track is still the most successful ever song performed by an all-female group and reached No. 1 in more than 30 countries.

Together Ginger, Posh, Baby, Scary and Sporty sold in excess of 75 million records and had nine No. 1s. Their debut album, Spice, made them the fastest-selling British act since the Beatles.

The group were introduced to royalty, pictured with Nelson Mandela and performed with operatic heavyweight Luciano Pavarotti.

But despite their rapid success, relations within the group became increasingly fractious.

Halliwell quit the band in 1996. The group continued as a quartet for a time but by 2001 they had dissolved and were working on their solo careers.

After much speculation they reformed for a money-spinning 47-date tour which began in 2007. As it closed, the girls acknowledged there would be no more.

Each has gone on to find a measure of success in their own right, juggling their careers with motherhood.

Recently they gathered together for the first time since they completed the reunion tour as they launched a stage musical inspired by their songs, Viva Forever.

- PAA