text: the show ( girls aloud song ) " the show " is a song recorded by british girl group girls aloud for their second studio album , what will the neighbours say ? ( 2004 ) . it was released by polydor records on 13 september 2004 , as the lead single from the album . the song was written by miranda cooper , brian higgins , lisa cowling , jon shave , and tim powell . the synth rhythm , composed by shave , represents a change in musical direction from the band 's previous releases . " the show " is an uptempo dance - pop and electropop song with elements of the 1990 rave records . it garnered a positive response from music critics , who deemed it as another unique track produced by xenomania , and was considered one of the best songs of 2004 by the times . " the show " debuted and peaked at number 2 on the uk singles chart , continuing the band 's string of hits by becoming their fifth consecutive single to chart within the top three . the song also peaked inside the top ten in ireland and certain european territories . in 2006 , it charted at number 67 on australia 's singles chart . the accompanying music video was directed by trudy bellinger , and portrays the five members as characters working in a salon . to promote the song , girls aloud performed " the show " at the 2004 royal variety performance and at london gay nightclub g - a - y. it was also performed on five of the group 's concert tours . background and release following a brief hiatus , polydor records enlisted brian higgins and xenomania to produce girls aloud 's second album in its entirety , following the success of their debut album . higgins explained that polydor were not going to continue with the group 's contract unless he produced songs for the album . he continued , saying that his initial reaction was that he thought he would only be required to produce a couple of songs , however polydor insisted that he produce the album in its entirety and that they thought only he understood what they wanted . the album was recorded from april to september 2004 . for the lead single from what will the neighbours say ? , polydor presented the band four singles choices , including " the show " , " wake me up " , " graffiti my soul " , and " androgynous girls " . although " wake me up " was the preferred choice , it was deemed too hard sounding and the record company didn 't want to take the risk , and they also added " androgynous girls " as a b - side to the album 's second single three months later . " the pressure to come up with singles was , as always , immense . but [ ... ] we were able to have a lot of fun working on ideas that were maybe a little too odd to be on the radio , " higgins said . they decided to release " the show " , which was debuted on 28 june 2004 , less than six months after the release of " jump " . it was released on two different cd single formats , but did not feature any new b - sides . a remix of " jump " appears on the first disc , while the gravitas club mix of " the show " and an exclusive interview both appeared on the second disc . " the show " was also released in australia two years later , on 3 june 2006 , as the second single from the australian version of chemistry . composition the song was written by miranda cooper , brian higgins , lisa cowling , jon shave , and tim powell . contrary to the verse - chorus form that is typically used in modern pop music , " the show " opts for a less conventional song structure . it was noted for its intricacy . the song 's lyrics , which contain an anti - promiscuity message , " set in motion a writing style that would come to epitomise girls aloud 's music . " in the group 's 2008 autobiography dreams that glitter - our story , cheryl cole described girls aloud 's cover of the pointer sisters ' " jump " as " the point when we realized everything we 'd been doing was quite down and moody [ ... ] and that 's not what people wanted . " as their first single following the cover , " the show " served as an introduction to girls aloud 's new sound , being " their most risqué cut at the time . " rather than the guitar that dominated the band 's first three singles , " the show " mostly utilises synthesisers . the synth rhythm was composed by a xenomania musician named jon shave . musicomh contributor john murphy deemed the track 's composition similar to " love machine " , which he considered inspired by " ' 80s synth pop . " reception critical response " the show " was described by bbc music as " a feisty , thumping track with a positively rude bassline , " while a reviewer for virgin media described the song as a " rush of thrilling synth stabs and vocal hooks . " paul scott of stylus magazine referred to " the show " as one of girls aloud 's best songs , deeming it " audacious to say the least . with its clipped delivery and gnarled synth riffs barely sweetened , it ’ s saw doing sst ; tungsten and gristle polished to an fm sheen . " alexis petridis of the guardian considered " the show " and " love machine " as the perfect examples of xenomania 's unique production , and added that the lead single " is based around a frantically exciting electronic noise that seems to have escaped from an early - 1990s rave record . " in their best - of - year countdown , the times noted that the song helped xenomania to establish themselves as the best pop music production team . chart performance on the week ending 17 july 2004 , " the show " debuted at number 2 on the uk singles chart , being held of the top spot by usher 's " burn " . it fell to number 5 the following week . " the show " is girls aloud 17th best - selling single in the united kingdom . the single also debuted and peaked at number 9 on the european hot 100 singles , falling to number 18 the following week . in ireland , it debuted at number ten , and peaked at number 5 three weeks later . after its release in australia in 2006 , " the show " failed to make impact and missed the top forty of the aria charts , debuting and peaking at number 67 . music video the accompanying music video for " the show " was directed by trudy bellinger . after the video shoot , girls aloud decided it was time to change their choreographer , hiring beth honan , who continued to work with the band for several years . walsh also said that the music video for " the show " was her least favourite from the band . the story takes place in a salon called " allowed . " each member of the band plays a character working in the salon , pampering and making - up a variety of men . nicola roberts is " chelsea tanner , " who sprays insulting messages with fake onto her male customers ; nadine coyle is " " , who ineptly tries to give her male customers facials ; sarah harding is " supa " , a hair stylist who fails to satisfy any of her customers ; cheryl cole is " maxi wax " , who makes the waxing process as painful as possible ; and kimberley walsh is " the boss " , who looks on as her employees take their revenge on the salon 's male customers . live performances girls aloud performed " the show " at 2004 's royal variety performance . during the performance , they changed from little black uniforms to sultry red dresses during the course of their routine . they also performed the song at london gay nightclub g - a - y , to promote the release of the single , on 26 june 2004 . girls aloud have included " the show " in five of their concert tours . for their first tour , 2005 's what will the neighbours say ? live , " the show " served as the opening number . for 2006 's chemistry tour , each member have individual " stations " modeled after beauty salons , referencing the song 's music video . the stations are surrounded by frames , which are illuminated through the song . the group then uses the framework for their dance routine . the following year , on their first greatest hits tour , the band performed the song with a half - naked male dance partner , using a bed for a prop . " the show " was also performed on 2009 's out of control tour , where the song was included in a greatest hits medley which closed the concerts . in 2013 , the song was performed in full during the ten : the hits tour in the style of a victoria 's secret show . formats and track listings these are the formats and track listings of major single releases of " the show " . personnel nadine coyle – co - lead vocals cheryl fernandez - versini – co - lead vocals sarah harding – co - lead vocals nicola roberts – co - lead vocals kimberley walsh – co - lead vocals charts