Sunday 14th June 2009 @ Colston Hall, Bristol
With Support From: Jessie Malakouti, Pixie Lott

The evening starts well; I’m scanning myspace to find out what I’d let myself in for whilst my daughters and their countless friends were dressing up at great audible volume in new outfits, purposefully purchased for this long awaited gig. Slightly disappointed that Colston Hall’s all new entrance was firmly closed even after all the recent unveiling hype, we made it inside the bustling venue to this sell out show with predominately young girls and gay men all in high spirits awaiting the pop onslaught!

There was no mention on Colston Hall’s website or The Saturdays’ about any warm-up acts so I was taken aback when this week’s top forty chart number one star, Pixie Lott was there, second on the bill after Jessie Malakouti. Performing on a shallow stage curtained off from the main show, Pixie kicked pop ass: great vocals, giving it her all, dancing with her two backing dancers, followed by an acoustic section which really highlighted the power of her vocals. Pixie was smiling, loving giving the performance and I’m fairly sure she’ll be back on this very same stage next year as the headline.

Then came the main event, The Saturdays’ high-budget stage show, vibrant and professional with countless costume changes. The music starts and one by one the girls are lit, looking amazing and sounding even better. No backing tracks here, a full band knocked out the tunes and the whole place danced and screamed. It was starting to get really hot and everyone was fanning themselves with folded literature but we still keep dancing and singing along.

The girls perform a great show, playing all their hits such as Just Can’t Get Enough, Issues and Up, along with more tracks from their album and modern covers. The band were clearly enjoying performing and bonded with the audience well. Vanessa’s sprained ankle held back her dancing skills but she made up for that with her voice.

The fans left excited, soaked up the merchandise and got a chance to leave video messages for the band’s website before dispersing in high spirits. Poptastic.

www.thesaturdays.co.uk

Matt Collins
Photos by www.crushimages.co.uk