Five things I learned from this year's VMAs

Another year of the MTV Video Awards has passed.  There was no shocking moment like ten years ago when Madonna kissed Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera (although Miley Cyrus' performance of "We Can't Stop" followed by "Blurred Lines" with Robin Thicke will probably be the most talked about performance at water coolers tomorrow).

Here are six things I learned from the awards show:

1) Justin Timberlake and Bruno Mars should sing at every awards show or go on a sing-off tour, because they know how to come in and show how it's done.
2) As cool as it was watching N*Sync again, the others looked rusty.  I don't see a full-on reunion anytime soon.
3)  The Smith children are everywhere; next they will be in your dreams (nightmares).
4)  Rihanna and Mary J. Blige (who, sadly, was absent tonight) should be at every awards show.  Their reactions are always entertaining and gif-ready.  Case in point:   Rihanna's reaction to Miley Cyrus shaking her butt.
5) Taylor Swift is officially the most annoying woman on the planet.  Kanye, feel free to crash the stage anytime she's on it.

"Let's go, eskimo": Girls Aloud's triumphant return to the stage

Girls Aloud are one of the most successful girl groups in pop music of the past decade, and most likely, you have never heard of them.

Based in the U.K., Girls Aloud shot to fame when they won the reality competition series Pop Stars.  Teaming up with hitmakers Xenomania, Girls Aloud enjoyed an impressive run of hits since their television debut, including songs like "Sound of the Underground, "Love Machine", "Biology" and "No Good Advice".   Their quirky lyrics (as referenced in the title of this post), mixed with their gorgeous harmonies, made them the premier girl group in pop music, perhaps the best girl group in pop since the Spice Girls, without chants of girl power, but just straight-up pop music.  They never broke into North America, remaining one of the best kept secrets in pop.

In 2007, after releasing a greatest hits album, Girls Aloud released arguably their two best albums, "Tangled Up" and "Out of Control", presenting a more sophisticated image and even more pop classics with "Sexy... No, No, No", "Can't Speak French", "Call the Shots", the '60s throwback "The Promise", the electro-infused "Untouchable" and the Pet Shop Boys-penned "The Loving Kind".  Just when things were getting good, Girls Aloud took a break.  Cheryl Cole became perhaps the most famous solo member of Girls Aloud, releasing three hit albums and headlining her own tour (not to mention, getting some Stateside attention when she was hired - and then fired - as a judge for the American version of "X Factor").

Late last year, the girls regrouped to celebrate their tenth anniversary with yet another greatest hits album and a new tour.

Because the tour is not visiting Canada, I travelled across the ocean just to see Girls Aloud at London's O2 Arena.  You're probably thinking I'm crazy for doing such a thing, but with rumours spreading that this may be their last tour, I HAD to see it.  Were they worth the seven-hour flight?

Absolutely.

Not only have Girls Aloud created irresistible pop hits over the past ten years, they have also developed into one of the best live acts in pop music.  Like Madonna and Kylie Minogue, Girls Aloud know how to put on a pop spectacle.  Their shows may not be as technically elaborate as Madonna's or Kylie's, but they know how to give their fans a good time.

After taking off almost four years, the time off has not affected their performance skills.  In fact, the time off has only helped them hone their skills.  Cheryl, in particular, knows how to work the crowd, giving the crowd lots of eye contact and camera-ready poses.  Having headlined her own tour, Cheryl is more than comfortable on the stage.

Nadine, perhaps the best vocalist in the group, is another favourite with the crowds.  She laps up every moment she's on the stage.  She is a true pop star.  She believes in every lyric, every note, every dance move, every gesture, no matter how over-the-top it may be.  Take, for example, the beginning of "Models/The Show", where the girls strut down the stage catwalk as if they are models strutting down a runway.  Nadine struts down the catwalk as if she owns it.  She is larger than life and she knows it.  That's what we want from our pop stars.

Kimberley, Nicola and Sarah are perhaps overshadowed by Cheryl and Nadine, but they sing and dance competently, and the strong chemistry amongst all five women is a reminder that the best girl groups only work when each is on top of their game. After ten years as a group, and a long break in between, each member is on top of their game.

The show begins with the five girls descending from the ceiling on a platform with the letters of G-I-R-L-S A-L-O-U-D on full display.  Later in the show, the girls will stand on the same platform as they fly over the audience.

The show is a non-stop run of Girls Aloud hits - literally, all killer and no filler.  With most Girls Aloud shows, they do a cover of a recent hit, and this time it's Carly Rae Jepsen's monster hit from last summer, "Call Me Maybe".  The girls do a good job, but mostly it's a sing-along moment for the audience.

One of the strongest parts of the show is the third act, where the girls perform some of their best songs, including "Untouchable" and "Call the Shots" from a B-stage.  These electronic-infused pop numbers are the cream of the crop in the Girls Aloud discography.  "Call the Shots", in particular, proved to be  the biggest crowd pleaser of the night.

The show ends with an encore of the ballad "I'll Stand By You" and their last number-one hit,"The Promise", with the girls dressed in glittery red evening gowns, a throwback to the classic '60s girl groups.

Which is fitting because, like the Supremes, the Ronettes, and the Crystals,  Girls Aloud have now become a classic girl group themselves.

Even if most of the world has no idea what "let's go, eskimo" or "And tonight, is just another kink in your steel" means.

Parachute Club a "one-hit wonder"? I think not

I don't watch MuchMusic or MuchMoreMusic "much" (like that pun?) anymore, but the other night, I was flipping channels and happened to come by MMM's "100 One Hit Wonders".  As with most of these countdowns, the usual suspects popped up - Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch, Deee-Lite, et cetera.  But my eyes bugged out when I saw number 19... Parachute Club!

Now, I may be showing my age, but I remember Parachute Club from the '80s, during their peak.  Granted, they did not last long - about four years, to be exact.  But they were NOT a one-hit wonder.  They had three major hits, "Rise Up", "At the Feet of the Moon" and their duet with John Oates from Hall & Oates called "Love is Fire", plus popular songs such as "Alienation" and "Sexual Intelligence".

Frankly, I am offended by MMM's assertion that Parachute Club is a one hit wonder.  They were one of Canadian music's most prominent bands in the '80s,  and both "At the Feet of the Moon" and "Love is Fire" got regular rotation on... Much Music.

Labeling Parachute Club as a one hit wonder is a discredit to the band and their success in the '80s.  Shame on MuchMoreMusic for reducing them to such a label and placing them amongst acts who never shared the same kind of success - or influence - that Parachute Club did.