LittleMix_Shout_Out_Press_Shot
Little Mix @ Genting Arena, 17th November 2017
From their beginnings in 2011 as the only group to date to win The X factor, to the accolade of Best British Single for ‘Shout Out to My Ex’, Little Mix are on a dazzling journey to the top. The Glory Days album was released in November 2016 and the accompanying tour is testament to just how far they’ve come. This Autumn they embarking on a brand new arena tour and we were there to see them at the Genting Arena in Birmingham.
Since that win in 2011 Perrie Edwards, Jesy Nelson, Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Jade Thirlwall have established themselves as one of British pop’s brightest acts. Their popularity is truly massive. Signature hits including ‘Move’, ‘Wings’ and ‘Black Magic’ – the latter becoming their third UK chart-topper, stubbornly spending three weeks at the top last summer – have helped Little Mix score over one billion YouTube and Vevo views worldwide, alongside massive tours of the UK, Australia, Japan and the US — where their debut album smashed a record the Spice Girls held for almost two decades.
The show opened to the drama of dry ice, flaming pyrotechnics and a gaggle of leather-clad male dancers, with the girls performing crowd-pleasers such as ‘’Power’ and ‘Black Magic’. Unfortunately, we were informed by Leigh-Anne that Jesy Nelson had a sore throat and would not be singing. Odd, no question, but the dedicated fan Mixers happily filled in the gaps in the show with their own enthusiastic endeavours. That disappointment however, was very much compensated for by the outstanding vocal performances of Perrie Edwards and Leigh-Anne Pinnock who delivered, and more, in what were consistently energetic dance routines.
The costumes, from leather and chains, feathers and exceptionally sparkly boots all smacked of Little Mix glitz and glamour but when the bridge walkway descended and the group performed ‘No More Sad Songs’ to the audience at the back of the arena, it felt like a strangely intimate affair. Just girls (and boys) hanging out.
The last few dates of this tour are still to come, culminating in shows at the o2 in Greenwich.
Little Mix – The Glory Days Tour 2017
Tue 21 November Manchester Arena
Wed 22 November Manchester Arena
Sat 25 November London The O2 Matinee + Evening Shows
Review: Sharon Green
Photograph: Little Mix courtesy of PR