With the original line-up of Mutya Buena, Keisha Buchanan and Siobhán Donaghy back intact, Brisbane fans were set for a boogie down a lush electro-pop memory lane with Sugababes hitting The Fortitude Music Hall stage on a Monday night.
A throwback to the 2000s when girl and boy groups were a full-on 'thing', English trio Sugababes stood out at the time as a collective with bite; they were a little bit more sexy and dark, and happy to do their work just a beat or two off from the mainstream.Tonight (27 February), the crew were in fine form, backed by a great four-piece live band that elevated all of the tracks that spanned Sugababes' eight studio releases across multiple line-up changes.
The night itself began with a short, sharp set from Sydney singer-songwriter CXLOE, whose synthy-pop riffs was a fitting support – a natural progression of the Sugababes' sound brought forward to now.
While her originals were all well-received, CXLOE's cover of The Cranberries hit 'Zombie' was an inspired choice.
Originally formed in 1998, the group went through numerous incarnations over the years, with all three original members having their turn at being replaced at some point throughout the group's career.
Their first visit back to Australia in 20 years, tonight's show began fittingly with a flashback, as news clips and audio files referenced the groups's 'comeback' – their much-heralded performance at Glastonbury Festival last year.
From there, they launched into a set featuring all of their hits starting with 'Push The Button' before taking in 'Red Dress', the infectious 'Hole In The Head', as well as the ballads: 'Too Lost In You', 'Ugly' and 'Stronger', plus 'Flatline' (which was originally released under their Mutya Keisha Siobhan moniker when they weren't able to use the Sugababes name – long story), 'Round Round', 'Freak Like Me' and 'Overload' among the many highlights.
While they mixed in a few of their newer songs, the trio were happy to indulge the (generally) older crowd – who did an amazing job to create an atmosphere at the venue despite it being a school night, let alone a Monday night.
Given Sydney is currently hosting WorldPride and Sugababes were also on the bill of the Mardi Gras Party, the Brisbane crowd brought that vibe with a lot of love in the air.
As performers, Sugababes looked like the experienced professionals they are, lifting the energy for their biggest hits, taking the tempo down a notch for their ballads, harmonising to perfection and making heartfelt acknowledgements to the crowd – including a super-fan who had flown to the UK to see all of their comeback shows.
With nostalgia for the '90s and the '00s the current zeitgeist it's good to see a group who put in the hard yards like the Sugababes getting to bask in their moment in the sun.
