REVIEW: Girls Aloud complete tour in Liverpool (From Wirral Globe)

REVIEW: Girls Aloud complete tour in Liverpool

11:15am Thursday 21st March 2013 in News By Stephanie Cureton

IT may have been 10 years since Cheryl, Nadine, Nicola, Kimberley and Sarah burst onto the pop scene as starry-eyed teens in Popstars: The Rivals but their playful lyrics and catchy melodies are still as fresh as ever.

Girls Aloud rounded off their much-anticipated Ten tour in Liverpool last night with almost 90 minutes of non-stop hits, kicking off with the song that catapulted them to Christmas number one in 2002 – Sound of the Underground.

Donning silver and gold Beyonce-esque sparkly costumes and perfectly coiffed bouffants, the girls were lowered over the stage aboard a huge platform spelling out Girls Aloud to greet their screaming fans.

It was clear from the moment Sarah told us they were “disco dancin’ with the lights down low” that Liverpool were in for a treat as the five-piece gave everything they had for what later became official was their last ever concert.

From the under-rated third single of Life Got Cold (Nadine told us they were full of teenage angst at the time) to the song that got even the coolest of music buffs bopping away, Biology, the girls gave the crowd exactly what they came for.

But it was fan-favourite Love Machine that made sure everyone was on their feet for the signature dance moves and fun lyrics – ‘gift-wrapped kitty-cats’, anybody?

Super-slick choreography and strong vocals, especially from Nadine and Nicola, ensured any nay-sayers doubting the girls’ abilities in that department were eating their words although it was difficult to look away from ‘nation’s sweetheart’ Cheryl as she shimmied and strutted five times harder than the others.

After quenching the audience’s thirst for vintage Girls Aloud, the girls then upped their game and sailed over to a stage in the middle of the arena for Untouchable, Call the Shots and new tune On the Metro.

It was then time for a cover of Carley Rae Jepson’s smash Call Me Maybe before their come-back single Something New, telling any successors to their pop crowns that they were in fact the “leaders of the pack.”

If fans were hoping the rumours of a permanent split following the tour were just that then their hopes were dashed as the girls came back on for weepy I’ll Stand By You.

Dressed in Jessica Rabbit-inspired floor-length red dresses, they sung against a backdrop of their decade together as they sobbed and hugged their way through the The Pretenders cover.

But it was obvious - even to the most cynical - that these girls were not just pop puppets who were ripping each other’s hair (extensions) out backstage, but were actually close pals who were genuinely going to miss their time together.

The show finished with Brit Award-winning The Promise, leaving us all hoping for a promise of another reunion tour in 10 years’ time.