 'It's been a rocky road to get here,' Siobhan Donaghy admits to the 10,000 strong crowd at London's 02 Arena – the biggest headlining show of any formation of Sugababes, 23 years after their debut single. She's not wrong. Being a lifelong Sugababes fan has often felt like supporting a football team on the brink of relegation. Not because of their quality – at least until the band's colossal collapse in 2010 without any of its founding members still left for their dire seventh LP Sweet 7 – but there was a fragility with each of their line-ups which suggested they could split at any second. But hours before their 'one night only' at the 02, Mutya Buena, Keisha Buchanan and Siobhan released their first single in a decade – and first in 23 years as Sugababes. It's an uplifting mid-tempo celebration of their remarkable journey which showcases the distinctive harmonies and vocals which always set them apart from other UK pop giants of the noughties. It shot straight to the top of the iTunes chart and remarkably it feels as though there's more buzz for Sugababes, who have long been the underdogs of pop, than ever before. If you needed any proof, it could be found in London's 02 Arena. It was my 20th time seeing Sugababes, albeit through various line-ups, and I've never seen them or many other groups so sincerely having the time of their lives together. Friday's gig marks the trio's biggest-ever show (Picture: Getty Images for ABA) Opening the night with Push The Button, a guitar-heavy remix of Red Dress and Hole In The Head was just an aperitif of their unbeatably electric back catalogue of over two decades with of music. After Ugly was the criminally underrated Flat Line, their 2013 comeback single which failed to chart when released as Mutya, Keisha and Siobhan during a legal battle to win the name they founded as teens. The first sign this was going to be a particular){kind=link}
NEWS… BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT
‘It’s been a rocky road to get here,’ Siobhan Donaghy admits to the 10,000 strong crowd at London’s 02 Arena – the biggest headlining show of any formation of Sugababes, 23 years after their debut single.
She’s not wrong. Being a lifelong Sugababes fan has often felt like supporting a football team on the brink of relegation. Not because of their quality – at least until the band’s colossal collapse in 2010 without any of its founding members still left for their dire seventh LP Sweet 7 – but there was a fragility with each of their line-ups which suggested they could split at any second.
But hours before their “one night only” at the 02, Mutya Buena, Keisha Buchanan and Siobhan released their first single in a decade – and first in 23 years as Sugababes.
It’s an uplifting mid-tempo celebration of their remarkable journey which showcases the distinctive harmonies and vocals which always set them apart from other UK pop giants of the noughties.