Alesha Dixon strutted across the Wembley Stadium stage in a blue and pink bra and matching hot pants, her high ponytail swinging to her hips — and 80,000 fans roared.
The surprise was complete. Mis-Teeq, the iconic girl group that conquered the charts two decades ago, had just been unveiled as the BarclayCard Out Of The Blue surprise artist of the year at Capital's Summertime Ball. The trio — Dixon, Sabrina Washington and Su-Elise Nash — launched straight into a medley of their classic hits: Why?, One Night Stand, All I Want and the hugely popular Scandalous.
“Mis-Teeq reunited as surprise guests at Capital’s Summertime Ball, thrilling 80,000 fans ahead of their reunion tour.”
Dixon's outfit, with an asymmetrical hem and flared waistband, drew as much attention as the music. "Surprise! What a way to return, on a stage like Wembley Stadium and as the Barclaycard Out of the Blue performer!" she said. "After 20 years, looking out to see the crowd enjoying our songs was magical. The energy was insane!"
The performance came just days after the group appeared on last weekend's Britain's Got Talent final, where they performed a medley. But the Summertime Ball set marked their biggest public reunion since announcing a tour to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their debut album, Lickin' On Both Sides.
"This was the best welcome back to the stage!" Washington said. "We have missed performing together so much and it just feels so right to be back celebrating the music we created. Having an audience of over 80,000 people of all ages sing along to 'Scandalous' was a memory I'll never forget."
Nash added: "We are so honoured to be Barclaycard Out of the Blue's surprise guest this year and join a long list of incredible music acts. The energy was on another level. We're so grateful to be back performing our music, but this is just the beginning!"
Last month, the trio confirmed they would reunite for a one-off show at Wembley Arena in September. Speaking to Vogue, Dixon explained why now: "We've been offered reunion stuff over the years, but it's never felt right. This time, everything just lined up. It feels like it is just slotting back into place, guys. It's just like it used to be — me saying too much and them two looking at me like, 'Oh, here she goes!'"
The Summertime Ball crowd, still buzzing from the surprise, seemed to agree: the chemistry was unmistakable.