Gig played on 03/06/06

If received wisdom has it that Planet Pop is a notoriously fickle place, subject to raging hormones and passing fads - today's star of charts, wallpaper and ringtone is tomorrow's flipper of burgers, after all - then how is it that, three and half years since their publicly Promethean creation, Girls Aloud have sold out a nationwide arena tour on the back of their third - count 'em - album? Clearly, we're not alone in scratching our heads in such lofty matters as Sarah Harding gushes enthusiastically: "I can't believe we're headlining Wembley Arena! This is such a dream come true!"

Indeed. Against all odds and defying the stringent rules concerning a group's shelf life, Girls Aloud have come to smite the doubters, kick the snobs into touch and deliver the kind of Saturday night their constituency deserves; to paraphrase 'Lizard King' Jim Morrison, the men don't know but the little girls (and mums, a few dads and the sizeable gay contingent) certainly understand.

With the revolving stage sets, breathless costume changes and rippling male dancers, this has the all the feel of musical theatre rather than a gig and consequently is all the better for it. Factor in the Girls' own charm and endearingly wayward approach to choreography and it's difficult not be seduced by the party that engulfs this usually soulless venue.

As is the case with most parties of this nature, the three sacred Fs of High Camp - that'll be "Fame", "Flashdance" and "Footloose" - are duly trotted out to hysterical teenage screaming as is an unexpected and unexpectedly fantastic cover of Kaiser Chief's "I Predict A Riot". But the most fun is saved for their own arsenal of incendiary pop nuggets; "Biology"'s bounce spreads across the masses like an unchecked chemical reaction while a thumping "No Good Advice" detonates the already combustible throng.

Hell, even the ancient - by Planet Pop's standards anyway - "Sound Of The Underground" succeeds in boldly doing its thing and it's only during the plod of "I'll Stand By You" that the urge for weak, chemical liquids from the bar becomes unbearable. Like a double shot cappuccino, the initial frothiness of Girls Aloud gives way to something with a bit of bite. Though you might not want it all the time, used sparingly it gives just the right bump.

by James Marshall