Girls Aloud are back together for a reunion arena tour due to take place in 2024 to celebrate their pop music legacy and to honour late band-member Sarah Harding, who died in 2021.
Cheryl Cole, Nadine Coyle, Kimberley Walsh and Nicola Roberts will be touring around, showcasing their greatest hits and there’s sure to be a few surprises along the way too. While the band has said they have no plans to record new music, they’ve already shown they’ve got lots of plans for their existing music with a number of reissues and re-releases.
With tickets due to go on sale next week, we’ve put our thinking caps on to pick 10 songs we think the band absolutely has to include on their reunion tour set list…
1. ‘Sound of the Underground’
The song that started it all. ‘Sound of the Underground’ was the band’s first number one single after their victory on ‘Popstars: The Rivals’. Sassy with a punk edge, the pop tune managed to win over everyone and it paved the way for a career that produced a heck of a lot more hits.
2. ‘The Show’
The lead single from their second album ‘What Will The Neighbours Say?’, ‘The Show’ marked the band’s transition into electro-pop glory and it was one of many genre-defying songs Girls Aloud created with Xenomania. It sounds like a few songs mashed into one and it’s glorious.
3. ‘Love Machine’
Perhaps one of the most enduring Girls Aloud hits, ‘Love Machine’ is pure pop madness. How it didn’t reach number one is a mystery but thankfully the tune has remained a favourite for the band and fans. It’s catchy as a cold during the winter season and it’s a fantastic pop tune.
4. ‘I’ll Stand By You’
If they don’t sing this one and dedicate it to Sarah, we’ll be very surprised. Girls Aloud’s second number one single, their version of the Pretenders hit was released in support of Children In Need. The words have always resonated strongly but they do even more so in the wake of Sarah’s untimely passing.
5. ‘Biology’
‘Biology’ is the most bonkers song that Girls Aloud has ever released and for that reason alone, it’s one of their best. This song sounds like a medley of songs, rather than one cohesive pop song, but somehow it works. The second single from third album ‘Chemistry’, ‘Biology’ has a unique charm that marks it out as one of the band’s greatest ever songs.
6. ‘Something Kinda Ooooh’
Fluffier than a piece of cotton candy, ‘Something Kinda Ooooh’ may not dig deep lyrically but it’s a stomper of a pop song. The lead track from their first greatest hits collection ‘The Sound of Girls Aloud’, the song lodges into your brain and refuses to budge. Should have been a number one.
7. ‘Sexy! No No No…’
Probably the worst title for a Girls Aloud song (and that’s saying something given they recorded ‘Deadlines & Diets’), ‘Sexy! No No No…’ thankfully is a masterclass in how to catch pop fans off guard. The weird intro, the bombastic beats and the sheer force of the music means you can’t ignore this song.
8. ‘Call The Shots’
One of the most mature songs the band has ever released, ‘Call the Shots’ is a gorgeous electro-pop ballad that showed they didn’t always have to barnstorm through a song. There are some great vocals here and it’s a goosebump-inducing pop song that’s stood the test of time.
9. ‘The Promise’
The fourth and final number one single for the band, ‘The Promise’ came at a time when the band’s popularity was at an all-time high thanks to Cheryl’s involvement with ‘The X-Factor’. Taken from the band’s final album ‘Out of Control’, it’s a shimmery 60s throwback that was a little different and showed that they really could sing.
10. ‘Something New’
A new track on Girls Aloud’s second greatest hits album ‘Ten’, ‘Something New’ captured that classic energy the band was known for. Urgent, poptastic and full of attitude, it was a way for the band to go out on a high and it deserves a place on their tour setlist.
