Girls Aloud
AO Arena, Manchester
24th May 2024
The girls are back in town for the first time in over a decade and minus a couple of small issues, David Edwards is over the moon to see his favourite pop band again, as Girls Aloud roll back the years at Manchester’s AO Arena, complete with the most touching of tributes to the much-missed Sarah Harding.
Of all my musical quirks, the one I tend to take most vexation from people (personally and professionally alike) over is my unashamed, unabashed adoration for Girls Aloud. I’ve heard it all over the years. Manufactured, industry puppets, cheesy pop music. And you know something? I take the greatest of delight in doubling down in the face of all this. Partly because I find the whole “pop music isn’t proper music” cliché so tiring and worn-through that it ceases to make any cognitive impact on me anymore. And also, Girls Aloud are no longer a guilty pleasure here in 2024. I’ve long since passed the point where I need to defend a band who have crossed over into acceptance by mainstream media outlets, as well as admired by multiple “traditional” musicians and acts. The common consensus is they were the most highly-regarded British pop act of the 00s. They were proof positive that any chart act – manufactured, reality TV chosen or otherwise – could rise above any snobbish sneering if they had great pop songs written for them. And Girls Aloud had them in abundance under the songwriting genius of Brian Higgins and Xenomania.
That said, the last fifteen years have somewhat dulled the spark of their 00s heyday. Since releasing their final album Out of Control in 2008, we have had two splits, a strangely subdued 2013 Greatest Hits tour backed with a smattering of new tracks varying in quality and of course, most devastatingly, the tragic and heartbreaking death of Sarah Harding in 2021, aged only thirty-nine. As such, the news in November 2023 that the remaining four members were reforming for an Arena tour was a chance to reset the balance and give us a peek back into the fizz-frothed, synth-drenched joy of the mid-to-late 00s.
Tonight, they (mostly) succeed on all fronts. The biggest and most immediate observation is that they look like a group again – constantly hugging, compliments abounding throughout the on-stage banter and continually professing their love and admiration for each other. This stands in contrast to the 2013 shows, where you often got the impression that they were counting down the songs and dates so they could go their individual ways. As such, the whole thing has a joyous celebratory quality which is reflected back by the beaming, enthusiastic crowd – all Prosecco, feather boas and glitter. Everyone is thoroughly determined to enjoy their Friday night out.
Opener Untouchable sees the girls on floating platforms above the stage, sequencing straight into a stomping, synth-drenched version of The Show. The stage setup consists of towering video screens with a horseshoe-shaped, three-walkway platform extending into the crowd with the front standing audience in the two enclosures in the middle. The sound is excellent and the vocals are all clearly done live without any added effects, which makes it especially impressive given the generally high-octane tempo of the show.
Yes, occasionally the breath and voices are slightly ragged after some of the more energetic numbers, but that adds to the organic nature of the experiences. The dance routines are well-coordinated and the male backing dancers are terrific fun – interacting with the girls, the audience and each other. Especially impressive is the version of Wake Me Up (still a song with a riff 99% of bands would kill for) where they appear above the stage on motorcycles and proceed to travel out over the audience. It’s pure spectacle, pure theatre. And the sort of simple but effective piece of visual staging that makes arena pop shows so enjoyable.
The setlist is mostly one that could be predicted from the outset, with few risks taken here, but there are a few pleasant surprises. Graffiti My Soul was always one of the more unusual and obtuse tracks from the second album What Will the Neighbours Say? and to hear it as a rarity here was something of a pleasant surprise. Even more so was the excellent Girl Overboard from Tangled Up – not played live since 2008, alongside On the Metro – by far and away their best track from their handful of 2013 new releases. But it is when they reach for the big hits that things truly go up a gear. Love Machine is a glorious rockabilly riot, Sound of the Underground and No Good Advice define the moment where we all realised that this wasn’t just going to be another pointless cover-warbling act. But the highlight remains Biology – still for me the finest British pop song of this millennium and spilling over with maverick pop ambition and kinetic frisson. You almost wish for a thank you to Xenomania to pop up on the screen to acknowledge their gift. A closing trio of the mercurial and tumbling Call the Shots, a stomping Something Kinda Ooooh and then a shimmering The Promise brings the evening to a close, with each member taking their moment to receive applause before sashaying off behind the curtain.
The tributes to Sarah Harding – though expected – are deeply and sincerely poignant when they arrive. The first comes with a wonderful rendition of 2005’s Whole Lotta History, complete with black and white footage of Sarah walking through Paris in the video. A further moment comes during their cover of I’ll Stand by You and the final half of The Promise features images of Sarah on the big screen “Our walking primrose”. It’s a genuinely well-handled and touching moment dedicated to someone clearly so close to their thoughts tonight, and the remaining members seem visibly moved at the crowd’s appreciation. Sarah Harding was always the madcap, larger than life character of the band who never quite seemed to have luck on her side, but what was often forgotten was the strength of her vocals and her contribution to some of their finest moments. Tonight does her, and her memory proud.
Despite all of the undeniable joy at hearing these glorious pop songs live on stage again, and seeing their obvious delight at being back together on the biggest stage, I’d be lying if I didn’t have a couple of small reservations. Girls Aloud’s 2008 ‘Tangled Up’ tour remains the high-water mark of arena pop shows I’ve seen, and as impressive as tonight was, it would be remiss not to point out some differences that meant it never quite ascended to those heights. Some are understandable – obviously, the sheer physical energy of the numbers and the choreography isn’t going to be the same as sixteen years ago and as such, the backup dancers take on a lot of the heavy lifting here. And there’s no doubt that they sorely miss Sarah’s voice – especially noticeable on the close harmony tracks. But the other issue is seemingly more glaringly avoidable. It’s never 100% clear as the big screens always hide the backstage area, but as the show goes on it becomes more and more apparent that there doesn’t appear to be any live band as opposed to them entirely using backing tracks. I could be wrong on this – frequently pop acts do tend to have supporting musicians behind the scenes but they always tend to give them at least a moment in the spotlight and a shout-out towards the end. Nothing of the sort happens and as such, it does raise suspicions. Their previous arena shows pre-2013 very pointedly involved a full live band and not only did it make it more authentic, it significantly added to the quality of the overall spectacle and performance. It’s a small hill to die on, and I could be wrong on this one. I hope I am wrong. But if there was a band there, they deserved an acknowledgement. And if there wasn’t, it seems a missed opportunity.
That aside, I leave with a sense of fulfilment. Fulfilment for the love of this group over the years. Fulfilment for what appears to be something of a happy ending. Fulfilment for the beautiful tributes to Sarah Harding. And fulfilment to hear some of my favourite ever pop songs, taking me back to a time without so many worries, fears and concerns. My knees ache more after the show, the walk up the steep stairs at Manchester Arena feels harder than it did back in the day and I’m still confused at how twenty-two years has gone by in what seems like a flash. But for two hours, I felt young again, with the soaring joy that only great pop songs can sear joy through your soul. I’m not embarrassed and I’m not ashamed. I love Girls Aloud, and I always will.
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Words by David Edwards. Read more of his writing for LTW here
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