It’s been a decade since Girls Aloud went on a hiatus that seemed like it may never end, but end it has, and The Girls Aloud Show has touched down for three nights in Manchester.
A lot has happened since the girl band formed on Popstars: The Rivals way back in 2002, including the tragic death of band member Sarah Harding at just 39 years old.
Girls Aloud promised that this huge arena anniversary tour would honour their late bandmate, and if Sarah was into 10/10, near-flawless pop concerts, they’ve done her justice.
It’s plainly obvious that hours and hours of rehearsal have gone into The Girls Aloud Show. They don’t put a foot wrong in the AO Arena, even if those silly inflatable red dresses played up again.
Even when a song falls a little flat, their performance sails on the wings of the choreography (their all-male troupe of dancers are phenomenal) and the production, and minor imperfections are quickly glossed over by the rest of the girls’ glorious pop catalogue.
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‘Now look over here! Look at the shiny costumes and the harmonies here!’ they seem to say whenever the audience gets fidgety, quickly moving onto another chart-topping banger.
There are a lot to get through – the gig is split into four acts, with a setlist that includes Love Machine, Biology, Something Kinda Ooooh, and Jump, and costumes that range from skin-tight glittering bodysuits to full-length gowns that may have been pinched straight out of The Supremes’ wardrobes.
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Girls Aloud performing in Manchester at the AO Arena. Credit: The Manc Group
The second act, which harks back to their slightly more urban debut album, is a personal highlight. I’ve long maintained that Sound of the Underground is one of the greatest pop songs ever written – but chuck in four scantily clad pop starlets riding airborne motorbikes and it just gets even better.
Did I walk in thinking I knew all the words to every Girls Aloud song ever released? No I did not, but these catchy little bops are apparently neatly filed in my brain ready to come tumbling out with a single wink from Cheryl Cole.
I know everyone has a favourite girlband member, and on stage each one plays to their own persona, whether that’s the impeccably graceful Nicola or the effortlessly cool Kimberly.
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And while on paper Cheryl is the most successful of the lot, this is now 2024 and I think we can all agree that Nadine Coyle is CARRYING this tour. She is an actress. She oozes charisma and camp, beaming the whole time, and looks like she is having the time of her life. It’s totally infectious and the crowd laps her up.
Sarah Harding is incorporated into the Girls Aloud tour throughout the show. Credit: The Manc Group
Of course, it’s a bittersweet celebration without Sarah. She is woven into the fabric of this band and into their live tour too. As hits like Can’t Speak French and Something New play, the original music videos play behind them. And with songs like A Whole Lotta History and I’ll Stand By You, her vocals take the lead along with a moving montage of the young late star, to rapturous applause.
If you’re surprised that Girls Aloud sold out this many arenas in this day and age, you are grossly underestimating the hold they had over British women in the noughties. We all used to buy false eyelashes modelled on their eyes, for god’s sake (personally, a big fan of Kimberley’s), and washed our hair with shampoos with their faces on the bottles.
21 years later and this is proven to be timeless pop music, and the styling of several acts of the show reflects that. Parts feel like they’re from a different era, from the tiny feather bustle stuck to Nadine’s sparkling bodysuit to the dancers in top hats and tails.
And things never feel more ageless than with The Promise, which closes the show.
Some of us may remember the music video, where all five Girls Aloud members time-travelled back to the 1960s, their makeup taking some influence from Twiggy and their hair growing exponentially larger (this was surely about the same time that Cheryl got her L’Oréal contract). The essence of that has been brought to their live show.
They shimmy behind microphone stands and perform choreography with their arms in sparkling gowns.
And then comes the real tear-jerker – this song was always Sarah Harding’s to own, and no one could quite fill those shoes. So instead of replacing her verse, she remains the star.
Sarah’s face beams across the arena, and her original vocals bellow over a tearful crowd, while the other girls turn to watch their late friend shine once again.
The night wraps up in an explosion of colour and sparkle. A properly fitting way to honour Sarah.
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Girls Aloud have two more shows in Manchester at the AO Arena to come – read our full gig guide here.
Girls Aloud setlist
Act I Untouchable The Show Something New Love Machine Can’t Speak French Biology Whole Lotta History Act II Wake Me Up Sound of the Underground Girl Overboard No Good Advice Graffiti My Soul Long Hot Summer I’ll Stand by You (Pretenders cover) ACT III Sexy! No No No… On the Metro Jump (For My Love) Call the Shots Something Kinda Ooooh Encore: The Promise
Featured image: The Manc Group
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The Warehouse Project announces fallow year and events on ‘far smaller scale’ from 2027
Daisy Jackson
The Warehouse Project has just announced that it will take a ‘short breather’ next year, with a fallow year on the cards.
The enormous clubbing series has cemented Manchester’s position as a leading nightlife city, drawing hundreds of thousands with its curated lineups and live sets.
Over the last 20 years, The Warehouse Project has transformed venues including a disused brewery, an underground car park (the iconic Store Street), and Victoria Warehouse.
Since moving into Depot Mayfield in 2019, the scale and magnitude of the clubbing series has rocketed, attracting huge names like Fred Again, Disclosure, Skrillex, Bicep, Four Tet, and plenty more.
There have also been massive nights curated by the likes of Annie Mac, Worried About Henry, Jamie XX, and more.
Plus huge recurring events every year, like the brilliant Homobloc and WHP’s almighty New Years closing parties.
But now, after two decades, the founders have announced ‘something of a fallow year’ in 2027.
While they’ve assured fans that there will still be events, these will be ‘on a far smaller scale’ – and will definitely not be returning to Store Street.
Reflecting back, they wrote: “The idea was simple: find a space that existed for a finite period each winter and create a series of totally unique musical moments – each unique in its own right, reaching different audiences, but all coming together under one roof for one unmissable season. A whole new format in which to experience this culture.
“Those early years had a particular energy. There was huge risk at every turn and, at times, unimaginable chaos that could easily have ended the whole thing before it had really begun. Amongst it all though, there was a feeling we were onto something special. We just needed to keep going.”
The statement continued: “Over the last two decades, almost everything aroundus has changed. Music has changed. Manchester has changed.
“The way people discover artists and experience nightlife has changed. And The Warehouse Project has kept evolving alongside it. We’ve moved through different homes and chapters. Each night leaving its own mark on the story.
“We’ve welcomed our heroes to play stages in train depots, old defunct brewerys and underground car parks. And we’ve seen multiple generations create cherished memories on that dancefloor.
“We spoke at length about how to mark 20 Years. After all this time, how do we make this 2026 season feel like the landmark moment it should be? We think the answer is to dial things back the following year. So, in 2027 WHP, in its current format, will take a short breather.”
The Warehouse Project added: “The Warehouse Project as you currently know it takes something of a fallow year in 2027.
“To the artists who trusted us; the agents, managers, promoters and partners who backed that crazy idea; and all the unsung heroes who have worked so incredibly hard behind the scenes, year after year – thank you.
“And to everyone who has ever bought a ticket, stood in a queue in the Manchester rain, discovered a new artist, lost their friends, found them again, stayed until the lights came up, or walked out into the morning knowing they’d just experienced something special. You are the reason we are still here.
Legendary pop duo Erasure announces huge Manchester arena gig on 2027 UK tour
Emily Sergeant
Legendary pop duo Erasure have announced a UK arena tour next spring, and they’re set to stop off in Manchester.
Andy Bell and Vince Clarke – better known by their duo name, Erasure – have announced details of their long-awaited upcoming 20th studio album today, titled Radio!! Radio!!, alongside details of an arena tour in spring 2027 across the UK and Europe.
Described as a ‘deeply personal’ project, the BRIT and Ivor Novello award-winning duo’s first new studio album in six years sees Bell and Clarke continue to refine and deepen the pop catalogue they’ve been building over the past 40 years.
The album will be comprised of a set of songs about love, loss, and injustice that they hope speaks to our ’empathy-starved times’.
Erasure will take to the road in 2027 for an arena tour that kicks off at Cardiff’s Utilita Arena on 25 April before travelling throughout the UK, including a stop in Manchester at the AO Arena on 1 May, before finishing off in London and heading over to Europe, with more dates to follow.
Vince Clarke will be Musical Director for the tour, but will not be appearing onstage alongside Andy Bell, it has been revealed.
Bell says: “I’m so pleased that we were able to find a way for the tour to work for Vince. He’s always too modest but he’s so much more than the Musical Director, Vince is one of the great loves of my life and everything we do as Erasure we decide together.”
Erasure will be performing at the AO Arena in Manchester on 1 May 2027, and tickets go on presale this Thursday 1 October at 10am, before general sale begins a day later (2 October) also at 10am.
Daisy Jackson -
24th May 2024 
