Mis-Teeq at Wembley Arena review: As fresh, vital and powerful as 25 years ago
"This was less about nostalgia than of sci-fi uncanniness: once they got going, the girls' energy was one of pure reanimation," writes Attitude's Jamie Tabberer
Alesha Dixon flawlessly executing the addictive rap on Mis-Teeq‘s lesser-remembered ‘Can’t Get It Back’ was not on our pop culture bingo card for 2026. But such was her burst of raw passion performing it at Wembley Arena last Saturday, long hair and limbs akimbo, we are now revisiting the song in a new light.
It was the moment the group’s one-off celebration of their 25-year-old album Lickin’ on Both Sides massively stepped up a gear after a slightly shaky start. Initially, it echoed their patchy performances at Britain’s Got Talent and Capital’s Summertime Ball in May and June, respectively: Sabrina Washington, now undeniably a more measured mover than her inexhaustible bandmates (the choreo overall is massively dialled down since their heyday) previously let this inconvenience throw her vocally. This time, she was the epitome of slick sophistication.
What follows is intended less as a banal observation of nostalgia than of sci-fi uncanniness: once they got going, the girls’ energy – including Su-Elise Nash, over from Australia, where she now resides – was one of pure reanimation, their power as fresh and vital as it was a quarter of a century ago.
It helps that skittish, punchy singles like ‘Why?’ and ‘B With Me’, and their hyper-verbose lyrics, are so utterly singular (do you know what OPP stands for?!) and that their costumes – Su-Elise, for example, powerful in X-tina ‘Dirrty’ era-chaps – had more edge to them than the Pussycat Dolls’ predictable garb of late.
We feared they’d lose us on the deep cuts, of which there were many, as Mis-Teeq’s singles discography is brief (not including Alesha’s solo hit ‘The Boy Does Nothing’ was a missed opportunity), but they seemed so throughly reacquainted with the old material, and maintained the same joyful enthusiasm throughout, that we were sold on everything.
While other acts of eras past have cheerfully phoned it in for a quick buck ever since, there was a real sense of occasion and of rarity in the air on Saturday night, with a live band and a surprisingly emotional cameo from original member Zena McNally adding soul and depth to the experience.
Still, we couldn’t help walking away feeling sad that, number one, the 2004 collapse of Mis-Teeq’s UK record label thwarted the girls’ US promo campaign at the time (what could have been!), and that, number two, Alesha’s miscalculated solo albums, not to mention the lure of talent show judging, prevented her from fulfilling her music icon potential.
High-octane renditions of culture-conquering songs like ‘Scandalous’ and ‘One Night Stand’ were not only a blast from the past, but a step into a parallel universe where the band became, and remain, a true global force.
Attitude attended A One Night Stand With Mis-Teeq with ALL Accor, Accor’s free loyalty programme, via the Limitless Experience, an e-store exclusively for members of ALL – Accor Live Limitless, which permits access to the ALL Accor Terrace at Wembley Arena, plus exclusive access to the Heroes lounge and food and beverage offerings. A full list of additional Wembley performances which can be purchased with Accor points is here. Attitude stayed at the Novotel London Wembley, located eight minutes’ walk from the stadium. Rooms start from £106 per night and can be booked here.