Girls Aloud fans excited to ‘see them back together again’ ahead of opening gig

Girls Aloud fans are “really excited” to watch the group kick off their first tour in more than a decade.

Nadine Coyle, Cheryl, Nicola Roberts, Kimberley Walsh and Sarah Harding won Popstars: The Rivals in 2002 and formed Girls Aloud, going on to achieve four UK number one singles and a Brit award for track The Promise.

They reunited with new music for their 10th anniversary in 2012, while a second reunion was planned for their 20th anniversary when Harding was diagnosed with cancer.

Harding died in September 2021 aged 39.

The new tour from Girls Aloud, which will play major UK cities including London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Liverpool, is dedicated to bandmate Harding.

Less than an hour before their expected arrival at the 3Arena in Dublin, the group issued an “updated stage time” on X.

It said due to “Dublin motorway closures”, the foursome would arrive 30 minutes later than expected at 9.15pm.

Aaron O’Regan, based in Waterford, Ireland, told the PA news agency: “I’m really excited for it!

“My boyfriend got us tickets last year for our first anniversary so it’s going to be a great night.

“We love Girls Aloud, it’s fantastic to see them back together again and touring.

“My boyfriend even got us T-shirts for tonight, it’s going to be so fun!”

Ahead of the show, a post on the official Girls Aloud X account said: “Rehearsals? Done. Choreography? Ready. Outfits? Fitted. Girls? Aloud.

“…We’ve been working so hard to make this show special for all of you.”

After two back-to-back opening nights in Dublin’s 3Arena, Girls Aloud will play two concerts at the SSE Arena in Belfast on Monday and Tuesday, before heading to the Manchester AO Arena from Thursday to Saturday.

In November, the group had to add six extra dates to their UK and Ireland 2024 arena tour due to “unprecedented demand” following ticket pre-sales.