When The Pussycat Dolls toured the country in 2009, the support acts were Ne-Yo and a new artist who had initially had success in France by the name of Lady GaGa.

Back then the Leeds First Direct Arena was not even open - now seventeen years after their last UK tour, Nicole Scherzinger, Ashley Roberts and Kimberly Wyatt strode back onto the arena stage with one simple objective: remind everyone exactly why the Pussycat Dolls once ruled the pop world.

Opening with When I Grow Up, the trio immediately launched into a breathless combination of slick choreography, towering production and enough attitude to fill the entire arena. Beep, Whatcha Think About That and Bottle Pop kept the momentum high, while I Don’t Need a Man came with an appropriately defiant swagger.

There was no band on stage, just eight dancers and the three Pussycat Dolls – the other three original members of the group, Carmit Bachar, Jessica Sutta and Melody Thornton, decided not to rejoin the reunion. For many fans this new incarnation was not The Pussycat Dolls without all six original members; ticket sales were initially slow for many of the venues on the UK leg of this European tour.

Tonight was a show built around movement as much as music. The Dolls were never simply a conventional girl group, and the choreography remained central to their identity. Every strut, pose and perfectly timed formation felt calculated for maximum impact.

Things became more interesting when halfway through the evening the solo spots arrived – Kimberly Wyatt used hers to do what is mostly a DJ set before launching into a cover of the Icona Pop hit, I Love It whilst Ashley Roberts showed off her dancing skills.

Then came the real star of the show and the one who really was the dominant force throughout the evening – Nicole Scherzinger - quite simply, she remained the powerhouse at the centre of the operation. Her voice has developed considerably since the Dolls’ imperial period, and the solo section gave her an opportunity to show just how far she has travelled since the group's original run.

Her rendition of As If We Never Said Goodbye, borrowed from her acclaimed Sunset Boulevard stage performance, provided a surprisingly theatrical detour before she returned to her own material. The contrast between her performance and the two previous ones from Wyatt and Roberts felt akin to Aqua and Barbie Girl being followed with Pavarotti singing Nessun dorma.

When Buttons arrived, the Leeds Arena erupted. It remains one of those pop songs where the opening seconds are enough to trigger an instant reaction, and the Dolls understand exactly when to let nostalgia take over. Joined on stage by the Leeds dance troupe DECODANCE – the dance collective for the over fifties – they proved that you are never too old to dance and that there is a Pussycat Doll in everyone, no matter how old they are.

By the time Don't Cha arrived at the end of the evening, subtlety had long since left the arena. This was the Pussycat Dolls at their most gloriously excessive: big beats, bigger choreography and a crowd singing every word.

If there had been any doubt that The Pussycat Dolls were not up to scratch in 2026, tonight’s entertaining, energetic and enthusiastic performance proved that The Pussycat Dolls' claws were as sharp as ever.

The tour continues with further dates in the north:
Friday 9th October- Utilita Arena, Newcastle
Saturday 10th October- Co-op Live, Manchester

https://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/the-pussycat-dolls-tickets/artist/1012918