Girls Aloud share previously unheard music with the late Sarah Harding’s vocals
Girls Aloud have shared previously unheard music, which features vocals from the late Sarah Harding.
Fans can now hear three previously unreleased songs from the iconic British girl group, as they share a reissue of their 2004 album ‘What Will The Neighbours Say?’.
Released to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the sophomore album – and their first to be recorded with pop production house Xenomania – the album is now available in new formats, and comes with three songs that were kept under wraps until now.
The three tracks are originals titled ‘Disco Bunny’ and ‘Baby When You Go’, and the third is their take on the hit 1991 single by Chris Isaak, ‘Wicked Game’.
Across all of the newly shared songs, vocals are heard by Sarah Harding – her first appearance in Girls Aloud material since their 2012 reunion, which saw them share the ‘Ten’ greatest hit compilation. The singer passed away in 2021 after a battle with breast cancer.
The rendition of ‘Wicked Game’ was originally recorded in 2005 and set to be released as a single in May of that year. It was later shelved in favour of the track ‘Long Hot Summer’ (via Official Charts).
As well as the original tracklist and newly released songs, the anniversary reissue of ‘What Will The Neighbours Say?’ also comes with a variety of rarities. These include a cover of Chaka Khan‘s ‘I’m Every Woman’ recorded for the ITV special Discomania and an ‘Electronic Mix’ version of their 2004 hit ‘I’ll Stand By You’.
You can purchase the album here.
The news of the reissues comes as Nadine Coyle, Cheryl, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh are all gearing up to embark on their UK and Ireland reunion tour.
Announced back in November, the initial run of fifteen dates sold out so fast that the band were forced to add another fifteen shows.
“We all started talking about the possibility of doing something to celebrate Girls Aloud’s 20-year anniversary a few years ago. The anniversary seemed like an obvious thing that we would celebrate. But when Sarah fell ill all priorities changed,” explained Cheryl at the time.
“She passed away a year before the anniversary and it just didn’t feel right, it felt too soon. But now, I think there is an energy that does make it feel right. It’s the right time to celebrate Sarah, it’s the right time to celebrate the band and the right time to celebrate the fact we can still do this 21 years later.”
The tour is set to kick off in May with two back-to-back stops at Dublin’s 3Arena (17 and 18). From there, they have stops lined up in cities including Manchester, Belfast, Cardiff and Newcastle, as well as five consecutive stops at London’s O2 Arena.
They wrap up with two shows at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool on June 29 and 30. Visit here to buy remaining tickets.
There has also been much speculation about the girl group performing at this year’s instalment of Glastonbury – including the members themselves stating that they would love to play a show at Worthy Farm.
At time of writing, no artists have been confirmed for the festival, however, Girls Aloud will be performing at Brighton and Hove Pride in August, where they will headline alongside Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Mika.
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Liberty Dunworth
NME
