Scouting For Girls - The Group With The Golden Songs

Scouting for Girls is celebrating its fifteenth anniversary and, playing in front of a sold out Leeds o2 Academy, the band appeared on stage accompanied by the James Bond theme, as a prelude to the first song of the night: I Wish I Was James Bond.

This led to bass player Greg Churchouse to declare: “We don’t want you to talk, Mr Bond, we want you to dance”.

And so the show began. It was never going to be a case of mission impossible especially when the band has a thunderball of hits at its disposal.

The three piece have been friends since their cub scout days when singer and keyboard player Roy Stride and drummer Peter Ellard first met, hence the band's name as Stride pointed out along with other facts during the ninety minute set. It was an insight into one of the country's more entertaining groups.

Before their success, Stride shared they had varying names and even dabbled at being a heavy metal type act.

Their songs are melodic, sometimes repetitive but sit easily alongside their contemporaries such as The Killers and Coldplay.

There are not many bands that could have a song about Michaela Strachan and make it sound believable, though that maybe is the appeal: making everyday thoughts and feelings come to the fore set against a backdrop of a catchy three minute pop song.

As Stride walked around the balcony with a selfie stick in hand singing Famous it might have appeared to be an impromptu moment rather than part of a carefully planned show.

Forever mentioning that the audience were the fifth member of the band (guitarist Jamie O’Gorman is a touring member) Stride had a knack of making it feel like we were all part of their success - which undoubtedly we all were.

Their new single aptly entitled Song I Can’t Forget summed up nicely why the band continues to be a success. The infuriatingly catchy track sounds like another hit that complemented Elvis Ain’t Dead and Christmas In The Air (Tonight) which swiftly followed - the latter saw them wearing their Christmas jumpers or if you are the drummer then just wear your best penguin outfit!

Every band has at least one song most people know, She’s So Lovely was saved until the end. The debut single remains one of their better known songs to the casual observer though tonight we had all been dancing along to a class act who left everyone shaken and stirred.