East 17 visit to Rayleigh in the 90s - our archive photos

The black and white images in our pop star gallery have been hidden away in our archives for three decades – until now.

They show the day nineties British boy band sensations East 17 paid a visit to the secondary school in Hockley Road in November of 1993.

What a House of Love - pupils cheer and wave as the await the lads’ appearance on stage (Image: Newsquest)

The group’s members – Tony Mortimer, Brian Harvey, John Hendy and Terry Coldwell – received a riotous welcome as hundreds of animated students packed into the school hall to watch them perform.

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East 17 was one of the biggest boy bands of the 1990s and achieved four top 10 albums and 18 top 20 singles. The group was named after the postcode of their hometown, Walthamstow in north east London.

rom Walthamstow to Rayleigh - the visit was at the height of the group’s fame (Image: Newsquest)

The visit to Rayleigh was on the back of their success with hit songs such as House of Love, It’s Alright and Deep – but a whole year before they would reach number one in the charts with their smash hit Stay Another Day, which is still a Christmas stalwart all these years later.

Were you in the crowd that day? Can you spot yourself in the photos screaming away?

Check out our East 17 gallery.

One lucky pupil is invited up on stage with Tony Mortimer (Image: Newsquest)

Waves - pupils seem pleased to be out of classes (Image: Newsquest)

Long before smartphones - one girl gets a camera out to record the action (Image: Newsquest)

Hitting the mic - Tony belts outs a song (Image: Newsquest)