Reviewed by Belfast Telegraph
It may have been a freezing cold Sunday, but the Saturdays kept the weekend going with a pristine pop spectacle in the Odyssey Arena last night.
It’s only nine months since the girl group last played Belfast, but with Frankie Sandford (right) back on board — the singer was sick in March — fans welcomed the full five-piece line-up to the Odyssey stage.
Or should that be six?
Ireland’s own Una Healy was very noticeably pregnant.
“We’re expecting a new member of the Saturdays,” giggled Vanessa White, also announcing Healy’s engagement to loud cheers.
But the red-haired one’s condition didn’t cramp the ladies’ style — even if she did have to go backstage for a cup of tea at one point.
The London-based outfit — completed by Rochelle Wiseman and Mollie King — kept the dance moves and costume changes coming through 90 minutes of upbeat anthems.
They descended onto the stage in an old-style lift, singing big hit Notorious, which was the start of a lavish show.
To be honest, at times the quintet seemed dwarfed by the production, clinging to their mic stands for much of proceedings. And if they seemed to be miming for a lot of the performance, they at least engaged with the crowd, which comprised mainly females from five to, well, 15.
Quite what the younger audience members made of the band’s ultra-camp cover of Depeche Mode’s Just Can’t Get Enough, with them being carted about by five male dancers dressed like the Village People, could be one for the psychologists.
But for the most part this concert was good, clean, family-friendly fun.
And a cheesy rendition of Winter Wonderland featuring the girls in sparkly Santa costumes was an early Christmas present for the assembled tweens and teens.