Girls Aloud have made a triumphant return to the music industry with a 30-date run reunion tour across the UK & Ireland called ‘The Girls Aloud Show.’ It has been eleven years since the band last performed together and parted ways… and a lot has changed since then. Most notably is the devastating passing of fellow bandmate Sarah Harding back in 2021, and this tour promises to be a celebration of their music and time spent together. While it first appears strange to see ‘Girls Aloud’ as a quartet, Sarah’s legacy will live on in the songs they have created and the incredible tribute the band have put together throughout the show. By the time the concert arrived at The SSE Arena in Belfast on May 20, they had just wrapped up two nights in Dublin and the sold out crowd was eager for the show to begin. For the last few years it has truly felt like there is something missing within the British music scene… and as soon as the cords of opening track ‘Untouchable’ began it became apparent what that void is. Since their formation on ITV’s Popstar: The Rivals back in 2002 the band has released five studio albums, 23 singles and embarked on seven tours. Hailed as the UK’s biggest selling girl group of the 21st century they set out to delight their fans with nostalgia and celebration – and the hits just kept coming.
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As the show opens with their 2009 single ‘Untouchable’ the four band members are standing on individual podiums high above the stage. While this opening may not live up to the iconic number of their 2008 ‘Tangled Up Tour’ it is nonetheless a very understated opening to the show. For them to stand there perched above the stage to the cheers of fans and proclaim ‘we have returned.’ The show is twenty songs long – and it is back to back hits. Girls Aloud have quite the repertoire under their belt which leaves no room for fillers or casual fans of the group to think ‘hm, I don’t think I know this one…’
@noelsmithstories The Girls Aloud Show in Belfast (20 May) performing Something New #GirlsAloud #GA #TheGirlsAloudShow #girlsaloudtour #girlsaloudreunion #concert #sarahharding #nadinecoyle #nicolaroberts #kimberleywalsh #cheryl #cherylcole @Girls Aloud #fyp #fypage #fyppppppppppppppppppppppp #fypツ ♬ original sound – noelsmithstories
The third track of the night is their 2012 single ‘Something New’ which was setting the pace of the show: high energy, full attitude, girls reunited and stronger than ever. The crowd was captivated and the first tribute to late Sarah Harding began as the singer has a very powerful presence on the second verse.
@noelsmithstories The Girls Aloud Show in Belfast (20 May) performing Love Machine #GirlsAloud #GA #TheGirlsAloudShow #girlsaloudtour #girlsaloudreunion #concert #sarahharding #nadinecoyle #nicolaroberts #kimberleywalsh #cheryl #cherylcole #fyp #fypage #fyppppppppppppppppppppppp #fypツ #fypシ゚ #fypp @Girls Aloud ♬ original sound – noelsmithstories
The tribute to Sarah that the band put on are not only beautifully executed – they feel genuine. That is highly apparent in the emotional power ballad ‘Whole Lotta History’ which features a video montage of Sarah from her time filming the music video and her soulful voice fills the arena.
@noelsmithstories The Girls Aloud Show in Belfast (20 May) performing Sound Of The Underground #GirlsAloud #GA #TheGirlsAloudShow #girlsaloudreunion #girlsaloudtour #concert #sarahharding #nadinecoyle #nicolaroberts #kimberleywalsh #cheryl #cherylcole #fyp #fypage #fyppppppppppppppppppppppp #fypp #fypツ @Girls Aloud ♬ original sound – noelsmithstories
While each band member Cheryl Cole, Nicola Roberts and Kimberly Walsh looked stunning and delivered flawless vocals, this was home turf for Nadine Coyle who even made a joke with the crowd of the famous, pop-culture losing her passport moment.
@noelsmithstories The Girls Aloud Show in Belfast (20 May) performing Jump #GirlsAloud #GA #TheGirlsAloudShow #girlsaloudtour #girlsaloudreunion #concert #sarahharding #nadinecoyle #nicolaroberts #kimberleywalsh #cheryl #cherylcole #fyp #fypage #fyppppppppppppppppppppppp #fypp #fypシ゚ #fypツ @Girls Aloud ♬ original sound – noelsmithstories
Fan favourite songs ‘Girl Overboard’ (from 2007 Tangled Up), ‘Graffiti My Soul’ (from 2004 What Will The Neighbours Say?) and ‘On The Metro’ (from 2012 Ten) were included on the setlist and they seriously deserved to have their moment to shine. While these songs were never released as singles and sent to radio stations they live in the hearts of every Girls Aloud fan who listened to their albums. Before the crowd knew it the show was almost over and there was one more song left. None other than 2008’s ‘The Promise’ which earned the girl group Song Of The Year at the 2009 BRIT Awards and as Cheryl said on that night it was ‘the cherry on the cake’ on a night that solidified one thing once and for all: Girls Aloud are a forced to be reckoned with. Even in 2024 they are miles ahead of their peers and they have been sorely missed by their devoted fans.
@noelsmithstories The Girls Aloud Show in Belfast (20 May) performing Something New #GirlsAloud #GA #TheGirlsAloudShow #girlsaloudtour #girlsaloudreunion #concert #sarahharding #nadinecoyle #nicolaroberts #kimberleywalsh #cheryl #cherylcole #fyp #fypage #fyppppppppppppppppppppppp #fypp #fypツ #fyppp #fyppage @Girls Aloud ♬ original sound – noelsmithstories
The Girls Aloud Show setlist
- Untouchable
- The Show
- Something New
- Love Machine
- Can’t Speak French
- Biology
- Whole Lotta History
- Wake Me Up
- Sound Of The Underground
- Girl Overboard
- No Good Advice
- Grafitti My Soul
- Long Hot Summer
- I’ll Stand By You
- Sexy! No, No, No…
- On The Metro
- Jump
- Call The Shots
- Something Kinda Ooooh
- The Promise
I hope you enjoyed this blog post and concert review of ‘The Girls Aloud Show’ to stay up to date follow me on social media using the links below:
