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.
