Kicking off 2025 by seeing the Sugababes live is exactly what this year calls for. The iconic British girl group were back down under for a special run of shows to celebrate the new year which all kicked off at Beyond The Valley Festival. But they couldn’t come all this way without some headline shows, and they returned to Enmore Theatre in Sydney for a night celebrating their greatest hits.

On support duty was Melbourne based girl group Blusher, who treated the audience to a polished 40 minute set that introduced them through the shiniest of pop songs. With tracks like “Softly Spoken”, “Dead End”, “Backbone”, “Accelerator”, “Rave Angel” and new single “Somebody New” sprinkled throughout the set, there was a mix of high octane dance energy mixed with dreamy pop layers that were executed by the addition of choreography, bubbles, guitars and harmonies. They even added a cheeky cover of Justin Bieber’s “Beauty And A Beat” into the set, and yes they even did Nicki’s verse justice. 

After a brief break where Jimi The Kween was on the decks playing some 2000’s bangers, the Sugababes strutted their way onto the stage for opening song “Freak Like Me”. Joined by a powerhouse band that elevated their greatest hits, Mutya, Keisha and Siobhan had the crowd immediately eating out of the palm of their hand with “Red Dress”, “Hole in The Head”, “Ugly”, “Too Lost In You” and “Overload” getting early mammoth singalongs. Their charm as a group is their sisterhood and their harmonies together, and that shined the brightest in the set. They aren’t a big production group or have complicated choreography, it’s a simple show that is all about the songs and the story of them as a band. 

Mutya addressed the crowd early in the show that she was really sick and was losing her voice, so asked them to sing extra loud for her. There were moments where she walked off stage and started crying as she fought through the illness to finish the show (which she did), and both Keisha and Siobhan had her back and were championing her on for the entirety of the set. For “When The Rain Comes” they brought a fan onstage to sing Mutya’s verse for her, which was a really cute impromptu moment. After saying goodnight to the crowd, the trio returned to the stage for an encore of their biggest hits “Push The Button”, “Round Round” and “About You Now”, which was the perfect ending to a euphoric set. 

While the show was nostalgic because of the legendary hits, it was also a reminder that the Sugababes story isn’t finished yet, and they’re currently reloading for the next chapter.