There was a moment during Sugababes’ first arena tour when it became apparent that life as one of pop music’s biggest groups isn’t quite the same as it was.

About 20 minutes in, the show cut to a tape recording of the only original member left, Keisha, reminiscing about her time in the band when she was just 16 and all the girls cared about back then was singing and writing, not sychronised dance steps.

Maybe it just isn’t as much fun anymore, I wondered. Despite the changes, Keisha is still there and I can’t deny that Sugababes make some of the most infectious pop songs around.and raunchy dance routines.

Since reviving their fortunes, thanks to Richard X’s version of Freak Like Me, the uber-cool pop band has racked up the most successful chart career of all time for any girl group. And that includes the Spice Girls.

Even Heidi, my favourite, seems like she has been around for quite some time.

The departure of Mutya looked like it was the death-knell for the band, her gravelly edgy voice setting them apart from all the glossy pin-ups around. But Amelle, to her credit, is just too good a replacement.

The audience was a surprisingly mixed-bag, children to adults, all pumped up by biggest hits such as Round Round and Freak Like Me along with a pumped up version of Primal Scream’s Rocks Off, performed live at the request of the band.

By Lee Perry