Saturday, September 13

The Saturdays, Royal Concert Hall

Opening to an impressive backdrop the girls went straight into What Are You Waiting For, which sparked a 100-minute show of all the hits – and more.

What we were waiting for – and got – was an evening of perfectly-performed Saturdays tracks – but it took until the eighth number before the crowd really got into the groove and jumped to their feet as one, for the Depeche Mode cover Just Can’t Get Enough.

Another of the most popular routines was also a blast from the past, as Disco Love channeled both the Bee Gees and Britney Spears, with the help of the hunky male dancers in their latest revealing costume.

That’s not to say the girls were left behind in the fashion stakes. Five different costumes, ranging from the sparkle and glitz of the opening numbers through street fashions to the skimpy firefighter kits for All Fired Up thrilled with each new entrance on stage.

At the newly-refurbished Royal Concert Hall, Rochelle, Frankie, Mollie, Vanessa and Una were on their fifth night of a 19-date tour. And while their carefully-choreographed pop routines took them upstairs, downstairs and all over the stage floor, there was surprisingly little movement apart from all that walking.

Perhaps they were concentrating on the singing, as this performance was a particularly accomplished set.

The girls’ harmonies passed the test of walking Through the Desert, which led into a triumphant Ego and the slower Issues, demonstrating the variety of their work.

The ballad My Heart Takes Over contrasted nicely with the electo Depeche Mode number and a simple request for some fairy lights among the sell-out audience prompted everyone to flick that switch on their mobiles to accompany Chasing Lights, the title track of their first album.

Or perhaps they were distracted by the outside world. Frankie’s learning a new routine each week for TV’s Strictly, Rochelle has an 18-month baby to deal with and Una is pregnant with her second child.

Considering Rochelle and Frankie formed S Club 7 spin-off S Club Juniors in 2001
they’ve come a long way in seven years of The Saturdays.

By the reaction of the young crowd on the Nottingham leg of the tour, they’re set to go a lot further.

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Nottingham is full of fun, according to the traditional football chant. It's full of a few other things, too, so while I welcome comments, don't bother adding anything that won't get published...