The Tangled Up Tour was the fourth

concert tour A concert tour (or simply tour) is a series of concerts by an artist or group of artists in different cities, countries or locations. Often concert tours are named to differentiate different tours by the same artist and to associate a specific to ...

by English-Irish girl group

Girls Aloud Girls Aloud were an pop girl group that was created through the ITV talent show '' Popstars: The Rivals'' in 2002. The group comprised singers Cheryl, Nadine Coyle, Sarah Harding, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh. The group achieved a str ...

. It supported their fourth studio album '' Tangled Up''. Tour dates were announced in November 2007. Girls Aloud performed twenty-four shows at

arena An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectator ...

s across the United Kingdom and Ireland, making this tour their third to reach arenas. The tour commenced in

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...

on 3 May 2008 and concluded in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the We ...

on 4 June. Girls Aloud also performed eleven open-air concerts over the summer. The show was divided into five unique sections with distinct costumes, including the encore. The stage outfits, designed by Welsh designer Julien MacDonald, received comparisons to

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...

Blond Ambition World Tour The Blond Ambition World Tour (billed as Blond Ambition World Tour 90) was the third concert tour by American singer Madonna. It supported her fourth studio album '' Like a Prayer'' (1989), and the soundtrack album to the 1990 film ''Dick Tracy ...

. Girls Aloud began the show suspended from the ceiling wearing black cloaks before performing the opening number " Sexy! No No No...". The set list mostly included songs from ''Tangled Up'', as well as earlier singles and album tracks. A

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or '' ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

section took place on a smaller stage in the centre of the arena. Billiam, Luigi Masi, and

The Saturdays The Saturdays were a British-Irish girl group based in London, England. The group formed during the summer of 2007 and have been on hiatus since 2014. The lineup consists of Frankie Bridge, Una Healy, Rochelle Humes, Mollie King, and Vaness ...

provided support for Girls Aloud on the tour. The tour generated positive reviews from critics, who noted the performance as being the most sexual of Girls Aloud's career to date. The Tangled Up Tour was filmed at the

O2 Arena O2 Arena may refer to: *The O2 Arena (London) *O2 Arena (Prague) *The 3Arena The 3Arena (originally The O2) is an indoor amphitheatre located at North Wall Quay in the Dublin Docklands in Dublin, Ireland. The venue opened as The O2 on 16 Decemb ...

in London on 17 May 2008 and showed live at 50 Vue cinemas across the United Kingdom. This footage was released on DVD and Blu-ray under the title ''Tangled Up: Live from The O₂ 2008'' in October 2008. The tour has also been broadcast on a number of television channels.

Background and development

The first dates were announced by various news sources towards the end of November 2007. Pre-sale tickets were offered on Girls Aloud's official website on 22 November 2007. In March 2008, Girls Aloud signed a deal to front an ad campaign for a new low-calorie

Kit Kat Kit Kat (stylised as KitKat in various countries) is a chocolate-covered wafer bar confection created by Rowntree's of York, United Kingdom, and is now produced globally by Nestlé (which acquired Rowntree's in 1988), except in the United Sta ...

bar called "Senses". The manufacturer sponsored the tour, and handed out chocolate bars for free at the arenas. The announcement of the tour helped to stop rumours that the band were splitting up. The stories surfaced after

Nadine Coyle Nadine Elizabeth Louise Coyle (born 15 June 1985) is an Irish singer, actress and model. In 2002, Coyle was selected as a member of the girl group Girls Aloud, with whom she has been successful in achieving a string of 20 consecutive UK top te ...

pulled out of a reality television show for the second time. It was widely reported in April 2008 that

Cheryl Cole Cheryl Ann Tweedy (born 30 June 1983) is an English singer and television personality. Born and raised in Newcastle upon Tyne, she rose to fame in late 2002 upon winning a place in Girls Aloud, a girl group created through ITV's '' Popstar ...

was working on solo material with producer T2. These accusations were quickly denied, with Cole saying that she "had been in tour rehearsals every day." The band put a further stop to these rumours at their London show, by announcing that they would be recording a new album. The show reportedly cost an estimated £3 million to stage, with £250,000 worth of pyrotechnics. Girls Aloud called the show their most "extravagant and rewarding" yet.

Sarah Harding Sarah Nicole Harding (; 17 November 1981 – 5 September 2021) was an English singer, model and actress. Her professional career began in 2002 when she successfully auditioned for the ITV reality series '' Popstars: The Rivals'', during which ...

said that "over the years it gets bigger and more elaborate." The stage outfits were designed by Welsh designer Julien MacDonald, London-based Norwegian designer

Kristian Aadnevik Kristian Aadnevik (born 10 January 1978) is a London-based Norwegian fashion designer, who graduated from Royal College of Art in 2002. Early life and education Aadnevik was born in Bergen, Norway. After finishing his education at Bergen Yrk ...

, and Liza Bruce. MacDonald designed "a set of crystal beaded numbers drenched in his signature sparkle" and "a collection of sci-fi inspired bodysuits."

Kimberley Walsh Kimberley Jane Scott (née Walsh; born 20 November 1981) is an English singer, fashion designer, model, variety performer, television presenter, actress and dancer. She rose to fame in late 2002 when she auditioned for the reality series '' Po ...

told press that the band was "really excited about the tour" and had "loads of things planned." Luigi Masi, Billiam and

provided support for Girls Aloud on the tour. Girls Aloud played a number of festivals and open-air concerts over the summer. They were scheduled to perform at the Beamish Summer Festival, held at

Beamish Hall Beamish Hall is a mid-18th-century country house, now converted to a hotel, which stands in of grounds near the town of Stanley, County Durham. It is a Grade II* listed building. History The history of Beamish Hall can be traced back to the No ...

in August as part of a two-day event organised by Hope 4 Kidz. However, due to weather problems, the concert was cancelled. Girls Aloud also played at Pop in the Park and 2008's V Festival. They previously performed at V Festival in 2006 with a shortened set of their Chemistry Tour.

Concert synopsis

For the opening of the Tangled Up Tour, the band members were suspended from the ceiling wearing black cloaks. The video screen shows

singing the

vocoder A vocoder (, a portmanteau of ''voice'' and ''encoder'') is a category of speech coding that analyzes and synthesizes the human voice signal for audio data compression, multiplexing, voice encryption or voice transformation. The vocoder ...

ed intro to " Sexy! No No No…". Girls Aloud reached the stage as the song became more uptempo, removing their cloaks and revealing sci-fi inspired bodysuits. They then perform ''Tangled Up'' album track "Girl Overboard". During " Sound of the Underground", Girls Aloud use "semi-naked male dancers as both props and furniture. The first section of the show is finished by "Close to Love", another album track. For the second section of the show, Girls Aloud wear black

cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dinin ...

numbers. They perform "

Can't Speak French "Can't Speak French" is a song performed by British all-female pop group Girls Aloud, taken from their fourth studio album and serving as the third and final single from the album '' Tangled Up'' (2007). The song was written by Miranda Cooper, ...

", followed by " Love Machine". Album track "Black Jacks" is "performed on a rotating stage complete with a hugely energetic dance routine from both the girls and their dancers" and features a "snappy monochrome stage design." "

Biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary ...

" is "slowed down slightly" and "interrupted" with a jazz interlude. During their ballad section, Girls Aloud perform "

Whole Lotta History "Whole Lotta History" is a song by British all-female pop group Girls Aloud, taken from their third studio album ''Chemistry (Girls Aloud album), Chemistry'' (2005). The song was written by Miranda Cooper, Brian Higgins (producer), Brian Higgins ...

" and "

I'll Stand by You "I'll Stand by You" is a song recorded by English-American rock band the Pretenders from their sixth studio album, '' Last of the Independents'' (1994). The song was written by Chrissie Hynde and the songwriting team of Tom Kelly and Billy ...

". They also perform a stripped-down cover of Robyn's "

With Every Heartbeat "With Every Heartbeat" is a song by Swedish record producer Kleerup and Swedish singer-songwriter Robyn. It was first released on 10 January 2007 in Sweden and later on 30 July 2007 in the United Kingdom. It was released as the second single f ...

". They originally performed the song for

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance ...

's Live Lounge, a recording of which is available on the "Can't Speak French" single. Following a brief video introduction, Girls Aloud perform "Fling" in gold sequined mini-dresses. The group also perform a cover of

Salt-n-Pepa Salt-N-Pepa (also stylized as Salt 'N' Pepa or Salt 'N Pepa) is an American hip-hop group formed in New York City in 1985, that comprised Salt (Cheryl James), Pepa (Sandra Denton), and DJ Spinderella (Deidra Roper). Their debut album, '' Hot, ...

's " Push It". They then perform a medley of " Wake Me Up" and "

Walk This Way "Walk This Way" is a song by the American rock band Aerosmith. Written by Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, the song was originally released as the second single from the album '' Toys in the Attic'' (1975). It peaked at number 10 on the ''Billboa ...

". Additionally, Cheryl Cole sang a "quick incerpt" of

Kelis Kelis Rogers-Mora (; born August 21, 1979), known mononymously as Kelis, is an American singer, songwriter and a professionally trained chef. At age 14, she was admitted to New York's Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Perform ...

' " Trick Me" at the end of "Control of the Knife", noted by critics as a "tabloid-friendly decision." The set ends with "

Call the Shots "Call the Shots" is a song by British-Irish girl group Girls Aloud from their fourth studio album, '' Tangled Up'' (2007). The song was written by Miranda Cooper, with inspiration from an article about the advance of women in business, and Bria ...

" and "

Jump Jumping is a form of locomotion or movement in which an organism or non-living (e.g., robotic) mechanical system propels itself through the air along a ballistic trajectory. Jump or Jumping also may refer to: Places * Jump, Kentucky or Jump S ...

". For the encore of "

Something Kinda Ooooh "Something Kinda Ooooh" is a song by British all-female pop group Girls Aloud, taken from their first greatest hits collection '' The Sound of Girls Aloud: The Greatest Hits'' (2006). The song was written by Miranda Cooper, Brian Higgins and ...

", Girls Aloud wear high-cut Liza Bruce day-glo coloured leotards and nude fishnets amidst pyrotechnics.

Opening acts

* Billiam * Luigi Masi *

Stevie Hoang Stevie Hoang is an English singer and record producer signed to Mercury Records. and AVEX. Career Stevie Hoang (pronounced ''Hwong'') learned piano at the age of eleven and showed talent with it. He started his musical career as a producer, wor ...

Jessie J Jessica Ellen Cornish (born 27 March 1988), known professionally as Jessie J, is an English singer. Born and raised in London, she began her career on stage, aged 11, with a role in the West End musical '' Whistle Down the Wind''. She studied ...

Setlist

The following set list is representative of the show in May 2008. It is not representative of all concerts for the duration of the tour. ;Section 1 #

" Sexy! No No No..." (with video introduction) #

"Girl Overboard" #

" Sound of the Underground" #

"Close to Love" ;Section 2 #

" #

" Love Machine" #

"Black Jacks" #

" ;Section 3 #

" #

" ( Robyn cover) #

I'll Stand By You "I'll Stand by You" is a song recorded by English-American rock band the Pretenders from their sixth studio album, '' Last of the Independents'' (1994). The song was written by Chrissie Hynde and the songwriting team of Tom Kelly and Billy ...

" ;Section 4 #

"Fling" (with video introduction) #

" Push It" (

cover) #

" Wake Me Up" / "

" #

"Control of the Knife" (contains excerpts of " Trick Me") #

Call The Shots "Call the Shots" is a song by British-Irish girl group Girls Aloud from their fourth studio album, '' Tangled Up'' (2007). The song was written by Miranda Cooper, with inspiration from an article about the advance of women in business, and Bria ...

" #

" ;Encore #

Tour dates

;Cancellations and rescheduled shows

Broadcasts and recordings

The tour was recorded on 17 May at

The O2 Arena The O2 Arena, commonly known as the O2 (stylised as The O2 arena), is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the centre of the O2 entertainment complex on the Greenwich Peninsula in southeast London. It opened in its present form in 2007. It has the ...

in London and shown live across 50 Vue cinemas up and down the country. Footage was released later that year when ''Tangled Up: Live from The O₂ 2008'' was released on DVD and

Blu-ray The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of st ...

on 27 October 2008. In addition to the show, bonus features included a backstage documentary, music videos and trailers for the '' Tangled Up'' album. The DVD was certified gold by the

British Phonographic Industry British Phonographic Industry (BPI) is the British recorded music industry's Trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards, the Classic BRIT Awards, National Album Day, is home to the Mercury Prize, and co-owns the Official Charts Company with ...

. A shortened version of the recording was shown on

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...

various times in December 2008.

Critical response

The Tangled Up Tour received mostly positive reviews from contemporary music critics. ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...

'' gave the show four stars, saying that "even their between-song chatter is amusing". Although low points were noted, the review continued that "Girls Aloud remain confidently the only pop show in town." The '' Daily Record'' said they "pulled out all the stops." Becky Reed of Clickmusic gave the show four stars and stated, "Never mind that original banter and individual personality is lacking, the chemistry and magic is all there in the spectacle of the show." '' The Mirror'' called it "the most sexually-charged performance of their career". Many reviews focused on Girls Aloud's provocative attire, comparing it to

and

Jean Paul Gaultier Jean Paul Gaultier (; born 24 April 1952) is a French haute couture and prêt-à-porter fashion designer. He is described as an " enfant terrible" of the fashion industry and is known for his unconventional designs with motifs including cors ...

's famous designs for her 1990

. Reed complimented the costumes: "Girls Aloud have ''finally'' moved on from the market stall clobber and now resemble the Kylie-esque superstars they deserve to be." ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' ( ...

'' only gave the show two stars. "The songs varied wildly in quality. While upbeat belters... tapped into the hedonistic rush of classic gay disco, too much of the set felt graceless and flat." The critique even said "the famous five could easily have been interchangeable Stepford androids." Despite having praise for the girls, Nick Levine of ''

Digital Spy Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television programmes, ...

'' observed "one too many bum notes." Many shows on the Tangled Up Tour sold out including two dates at the UK's most renowned venue, the O₂ in London and because of the overwhelming success of the initial dates announced, more were added due to public demand.

References

{{Girls Aloud 2008 concert tours 2008 video albums 2008 in British music Concert tours of the United Kingdom Concert tours of Ireland Girls Aloud concert tours Girls Aloud video albums Live video albums