Girl Pop! – Gilded Balloon

Shite Productions’ Girl Pop! is a lively, glittery Spice Girls-esque girl band come to life with sparkly costumes, catchy numbers and gossip galore.

‘Girl Pop’ take to the stage for their first reunion in years, facing eager eyes of their devoted fanbase the ‘Poppers’. We are taken through a play-by-play of the reasons for their split, including relationship dramas and media clashes.

The high energy of the cast is radiant as the girls riff off each other, completely in sync. Each has their own personality and reputation; we meet fan and media favourite Hazel, songwriter Ruby, side-lined backing singer Zoe, and competitive Arabella. Jade Leanne is particularly vulnerable as Zoe, reflecting on her sudden grief at the BRIT awards being transformed into a press-fuelled narrative of spite. Lorenza Michelucci-Dunn is emotional and believable as the breakout star carefully navigating fame, relationships and tabloid exploitation. Each band member is a diva donned in sparkles from head to toe, with costumes channelling noughties popstars.

While the reasons for their split unfold, the actual drama and pacing of the reveals is anti-climactic and scattered. We get hints of a slight budding romance between members Arabella and Hazel, mentioned at the beginning but no longer explored. Airs of jealousy when Hazel is singled out as the star fade away almost instantly. The rhythm feels disjointed as we switch from drama to drama, with loose threads untied.

With a soundtrack of catchy Spice Girls-adjacent pop, we are entertained by powerhouse vocals and high energy. The lyrics however are quite simple, not quite channelling the girls’ personalities. ‘Pap Smear’, the surprisingly titled anti-paparazzi number speaks up about dehumanising harassment that rings all too true about the exploitation of female artists. The cast of four switch comically into overly exaggerated villains such as the media and press or paparazzi, shown through lighting shifts and changing voices. The group’s magnum opus and anthem against haters ‘Down Below’ is upbeat with buzzing drum and bass, but the lyrics play it safe.

With today’s press and fanbases all too eager to tear one woman to shreds to lift up another, the heartwarming ending pop number is a celebration of women in music and friendship – the band speak directly to their haters when they address the imagined scandalous fallout between them, when the reality is a much softer mutual understanding of them going their separate ways. We become their devoted audience, with touches such as the girls asking us to shine our torches immersing us in this fictional band reunion.

A sparkling night of nostalgia and girl power, Girl Pop! is a fun-filled ode to women in music.

Reviewer: Juliette Pepin

Reviewed: 16th August 2025

North West End UK Rating: