Sugababes™

Bit late but I got to see them for the first time at a festival a few weeks back. Very short set (45 minutes!) but they were stunning. Mostly I was just happy to see them back together and commanding a crowd. I was familiar, I think, with whatever new material they came back when they reunited three centuries ago but Flatline aside I can't recall them. However there was obviously one "new" song, which I assume was "Today" and sounded amazing live.

A few people in our camp did say "the redhead kept fluffing her lines" and I don't know if she did or not but there was definitely some moments where I couldn't hear her as well as Mutya and Keisha so she may have done. She did seem less confident, but understandable I suppose.

I guess it's been talked about to death on here but it's still weird seeing her sing hits she wasn't there for and Siobhan is probably well aware of that. Equally it felt JUSTIFIED to have her back for them. I mean yes I'll always associate Heidi with certain songs but it's not like I miss HER specifically. The very definition of competent, magazine cut-and-paste girl group member - which I'm not knocking of course, she had a role and fulfilled it. And those middle eights did have a certain pop precision about them.

In an ideal world, Flatline would have been a hit, they'd be three or four albums deep now, and they'd be able to tour with an entire new back catalogue (plus One Touch) - and maybe Heidi could be brought along for the 00s hits making one big happy quartet :basil:
 
Sorry, so clumsy with typos these days! What I meant to say was, "and maybe Heidi could be brought along for the 00s hits, but placed inside a giant wicker man, burned alive and sacrificed for the eternal goddess, Sugath, dying in agony while Siobhan nonchalantly warbles her middle eights"

That was what I meant to type. Damn auto correct :(
 
Looks like middling Taller In More Ways album track 2 Hearts is on the setlist! :shock:

 
2 Hearts will make a lovely loo break!

And yeah I do think Maya is pleasant but unremarkable
 
Jark said:
some on pj are speculating Get Sexy/Alien Superstar :o
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It was phenomenal :disco:

There was a lot less One Touch than I expected, though I guess they did a lot of that last time round. For me, the mid section was the sweet spot but for the broader audience who came for the hits it probably sagged a little. There was much more MKS stuff than I ever expected which made me super happy.

They looked and sounded incredible. They had a lot of family in the audience, particularly Keisha, who had a temporary emotional moment during Stronger which was dedicated to her recently passed Dad. It was really beautiful, and just the support and care the girls have for each other was palpable.

I’m tempted to go again.

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i think it's ok the stages they're performing on are smaller than i thought they would be you know what i mean? i guess they're not as relevant to have bigger gigs. i also find the setlist to be random and the songs don't flow together. what surprises me is that they are performing "red dress" when it's been quoted that mutya and keisha both hate the song lol like why then?
 
joeyczen said:
i think it's ok the stages they're performing on are smaller than i thought they would be you know what i mean? i guess they're not as relevant to have bigger gigs. i also find the setlist to be random and the songs don't flow together. what surprises me is that they are performing "red dress" when it's been quoted that mutya and keisha both hate the song lol like why then?
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what the fuck? :D

firstly they are a heritage act who no longer make music (sorry @dUb xx). of course they're "not as relevant". although they do seem plenty relevant to the 5000 or so people who went to see them in Manchester, so I'd suggest you employ some brain cells and reset your expectations!

and Red Dress was a top 5 hit, the locals/stans will want to hear it, artists can change their minds on songs over time, and even if they haven't Red Dress SLAPS and they killed it.
 
Jark said:
what the fuck? :D

firstly they are a heritage act who no longer make music (sorry @dUb xx). of course they're "not as relevant". although they do seem plenty relevant to the 5000 or so people who went to see them in Manchester, so I'd suggest you employ some brain cells and reset your expectations!

and Red Dress was a top 5 hit, the locals/stans will want to hear it, artists can change their minds on songs over time, and even if they haven't Red Dress SLAPS and they killed it.
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i love red dress it's one of my favs. i probably stand very alone but i love the change album at least they perform about you now. i wish i were able to see them BUT i live in NYC so they'll never come here lol or who knows if they suddenly gain new recognition!
 
After seeing them in Manchester I couldn't help thinking more than ever what a shame it was that the Glastonbury performance wasn't televised. If it was of a similar standard, I really do think it could've taken off and potentially been a bit of a viral MOMENT for them.
 
Seeing them again up here in just over a fortnight, I'm expecting the same show again and I cannot wait :disco:
 
I think the journey over the last ten years has humbled them a lot and perhaps there was a time they would’ve very vehemently stated they wouldn’t perform X or Y but life, change, growth happens and you soften and realise ultimately you can take your artistic choices, you can purely play for the audience or you can land in a comfortable middle ground which I think they have achieved really very well.

I think the venues they are playing in ARE too small but they’re generally in line with what I would expect for them at this stage, with the trajectory they’ve had over the last ten years and the number of false starts they’ve endured. They’ve persevered, they’ve been resilient and above all they’ve stuck together because they’re in it for a genuine love and respect for each other and what they do.
 
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Compare this to something like the Pussycat Dolls reunion and it’s clear why they’re just so so deserving of everything they’re getting right now. Long May it continue to build and grow.
 
Other than The Greatest Hits tour (correct me if I’m wrong) they always did play in smaller venues. Any time I went to see them they always played in The Carling Academy in Glasgow ( now the o2), I can’t remember exactly how many times I went to see them but at that point they were selling a lot of albums and probably had a much bigger fan base than they do now. On the Greatest Hits tour they played the SECC in Glasgow so assume they done an arena tour across the UK but they never were a massive touring force like Girls Aloud were for example, so I am not surprised they are playing in similar size venues as they did when they were touring Angels With Dirty Faces, and Three.
 
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Yeah you're right Rita, they generally played smaller venues like theatres etc. so it's not a massive drop from that at all

I saw them over the weekend and here are some assorted thoughts

- Leeds is lovely! As was my lunch with @VoR :disco:

- The venue was absolutely RAMMED to the point of it feeling a bit unsafe - or anxiety-inducing for me at the very least. At this point I'm thinking I never need to stand at a 'gig' ever again. It's hell in there, it's horror.

- They were brilliant of course, and the crowd was generally very appreciative. What a lot of girls though, my goodness. Didn't expect that, but considering the Mutya Keisha Siobhan tour struggled as a gay-only affair, I must begrudgingly welcome the general public.

- Fuck me, 2 Hearts completely killed the vibe. What a strange choice to add to the setlist. It coming after Flatline (19 gays went wild) and before Today (4 gays) was a bad choice too. You could feel the crowd checking out, which didn't need to happen.

- ONE song from One Touch? :bruised: They needed to chuck Run For Cover, New Year or even Soul Sound in there instead of 2 Hearts. Or in addition to. OR just give us a fun album track "turn me over turn me over AGAIN" moment. FUCK OFF 2 HEARTS.

- The two biggest gags of the setlist (Red Dress and Love Me Hard) were spoiled for me in advance which I was semi-raging about. Both were fabulous.

- WHAT was that little instrumental thing with vocal snippets of I LAY DOWN??? I was AGOG and then it just stopped. So good to hear it in any form though, just to get the sense that it's still got some life in it.

- This was my third time seeing them this year, and if I'm honest, as much as they're fun to bop to, I don't think I'm in any desperate need to see them perform Round Round/Hole In The Head/Freak Like Me/Push the Button again any time soon. I was actively zoning out waiting for SUMMER OF 99!

- At other dates, Keisha has mentioned that Today will be added to streaming services soon (!) but the rumblings on Popjustice WHERE ELSE suggest there's no big push behind new music and they might just chuck it on Spotify one day. An EP with the likes of Love Me Hard and some other MKS things they've performed would be lovely but admittedly unlikely :)

- I'm ready for the nostalgia/reunion phase to be over. Get yourselves into the studio in the New Year and let's move things forward PLEASE

- But ultimately I am grateful that this tour has happened at all OBVIOUSLY. It is still such a thrill to see them onstage together. The long-suffering MKS stans won.
 
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A friend who went was also complaining about the venue being oversold.

Who would have predicted THAT would be a problem for the Sugababes this time last year?
 
"2 Hearts" and "Love Me Hard" are in the same wheelhouse, though. Both are very low key. They lope along. I'd have showcased "Love In Stereo" and "Summer of '99."

I'd love to hear what their MD would do with "In The Middle." "Girls" would probably go down very well too.
 
2 Hearts is fairly lumpen and monotonous to me, while Love Me Hard is rather SEXY'n'SEDUCTIVE! But I can see what you mean.

I don't really like In The Middle, but yeah, it's ripe for a reimagining. Girls can stay gone.
 
I’m not sure how much money the girls made from the band? As discussed they were never a touring force but they did write their own songs, right?
 
Rita said:
I’m not sure how much money the girls made from the band? As discussed they were never a touring force but they did write their own songs, right?
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they had credits but I think their actual songwriting involvement varied and was lesser after Taller.

I'm sure Mutya, Keisha and Heidi made a mint. Keisha was alleged to be a PROPERTY MAGNATE in the press, I recall.
 
Songwriters get paid when their music is performed, is that right? So Heidi's making a few quid from the tour I assume? 🤑
 
Was this the set list dub?
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If so I agree that it looks underwhelming on paper. My dream setlist would be:

1. Red Dress
2. Real Thing
3. Overload
4. Freak Like Me
5. Ace Reject
6. About a Girl
7. Denial
8. Stronger
9. Ghosts (Siobhan solo)
10. Fearless (Keisha solo)
11. Song 4 Heidi (Mutya solo)
12. Round Round
13. Back in the Day
14. Promises/Soul Sound/Run For Cover medley
15. Flatline (with St Paul’s Cathedral Choir)

Encore:
16. Never Gonna Dance Again
17. Side Chick
18. Easy
 
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Yeah that was the setlist Su. They really should have done your medley idea, they could have chucked all sorts of fan favourites and oddities in there.

Even a chorus of CONVERSATION'S OVER, come on. Maybe next tour. :square:
 
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