Waiting (two hours!) for the Sugababes was like sitting in a giant aviary. During the support acts, the shrill screaming of pre-pubescent girls echoed through the auditorium.

The shrieking reached a climax as boyband Fundamental 03 worked the girls into a frenzy by flashing their 12-packs and urging them to scream louder.

At times, the lights went out to display a sea of illuminated rabbit ears on hundreds of tweenie heads.

Between the mediocre Fundamental and forgettable Shawn Emanuel, it was possible to see what kinds of people had forked out £22 for the gig.

Among the young fans and their mums were a surprising number of adult couples, straight and gay, and a worrying spattering of lone middle-aged men.

When the show finally started, its artillery of chart hits lived up to the fans' expectations.

A heap of singles - Round Round, Freak Like Me, Hole In The Head, Taller In More Ways, Caught In A Moment and Red Dress - were punctuated with a cover of the Arctic Monkeys' I Bet You Look Good On The Dance Floor.

The beauty of the Sugababes is peculiarly British, a celebration of the lovable but not especially talented. They have nice voices but not the strongest, they strut rather than dance and their stage presence isn't awe-inspiring. You also get the feeling that, even when Mutya, supposedly Keisha's bestest mate, was with them, they have never particularly liked each other.

But thrown together by circumstance, saving them from a life of benefitclaims, they have become one of the UK pop scene's most enduring creations.

The group has outlasted itself, with Keisha the only original member.

Onstage she shows it. Even while new babe Amelle was allowed to lead on old favourites Shape Of My Heart and Too Lost In You, Keisha was clearly the self-appointed queen, oozing confidence and control.

Meanwhile in Mutya's absence Liverpudlian Heidi cemented her position as the band's third wheel.

Prancing round each other rather than in unison, when the girls briefly stood together during Push The Button, it seemed as though they were about to give each other a shove to grab the limelight.

They put on a fun, well-choreographed and watchable show which was worth enduring the screams.