The changing faces of Sugababes

The beast carries on as if nothing has happened, apparently immortal, unstoppable, handy with a sonic screwdriver and possibly a bit scary. From sweet, innocent beginnings as a trio of sickeningly young and talented schoolgirls, they have morphed into pop's Frankenstein's monster, assembled from whatever body parts are fit for purpose and reanimated by a mad scientist played by Peter Cushing.

Still, they look nice, sing beautifully and have made some excellent records. The next one, Freedom, is due out on 5th September.

The Night of the Long Knives has fallen on the Sugababes three times, leaving us with a fourth line-up containing not a shadow of an original member. It’s a tale of backbiting, treachery and surprisingly soulful voices, and this is how it goes.

Sugababes Phase 1 (1998-2001)

Siobhan Donaghy was 16 and Mutya Buena and Keisha Buchanan 15 – not even old enough to bolster those throaty voices with a few Benson & Hedges – when Sugababes’ debut single shimmied into the charts in 2000. Co-written and produced by Neneh Cherry’s husband Cameron McVey, Overload was a breath of girl-group fresh air, all shuffling beats, honeyed vocals and surf guitar, that climbed to Number 6 and kickstarted one of pop’s great soap operas. Dynasty in Juicy Couture. But this first incarnation was short-lived as Donaghy left within a year of Overload’s release, reputedly in the middle of an interview. “All I asked was ‘How many times a day does Keisha pinch you?’,” the interviewer wailed, probably.

Watch Round Round

Sugababes Phase 2 (2001-2005)

As Donaghy swanned off to be a junior Kate Bush while muttering darkly about bullying, she was replaced by perma-smiling Heidi Range, who had fled an early model of Atomic Kitten before any Iceland adverts could leave her reputation in tatters. Sugababes Mk II was a revelation, scoring four Number One singles including breakthrough monster Freak Like Me and Round Round before the shifting sands of Sugababes line-ups snatched another victim. This time it was the formidable Buena’s turn to collect her P45. Official ‘Babes diplomats – if any band needs a department of ‘fixers’, it’s them – claimed Mutya left in December 2005 to spend more time with her daughter, but rumours of bullying and bitching continued to dog the band. Later Buchanan admitted she froze Range out when she joined the band, but hey, kids eh?

Watch Push The Button

Sugababes Phase 3 (2005-2009)

Mutya’s punchiness was amply replaced as Amelle Berrabah brought her peculiar mix of strong vocals and alleged tabloid-friendly dust-ups to the group, maintaining their edge. You wouldn’t want to bump into them in a dark alley. Well, maybe Heidi. Her beam would guide you to the exit. But even this sturdy line-up couldn’t last forever. Obviously. However, there were more big hits – and Number Ones for an indier-sounding ‘Babes on About You Now and in explosive combination with Girls Aloud on Comic Relief single Walk This Way. There was even a singles collection and a second chart-topping album in 2007’s Change to sustain the shape-shifting Sugas, but the fickle finger of fidgety fate fell on them again in late 2009 when final founding member Keisha left. It was all very amicable...

Watch About You Now

Sugababes Phase 4 (2009-?)

... Oh no, hang on, Keisha said leaving was “not my choice” and Heidi and Amelle revealed she had been cutting them with her eyes or something for more than a year. ANYWAY, dark management forces decided wholesome Eurovision flop Jade Ewen was the perfect substitute and everyone got a bit disillusioned about the whole affair. Now with none of the original trio in evidence, Sugababes is officially a brand, where the name remains but the contents constantly change, like Manchester City or J-Lo’s Husband. Let’s see what the new album can do.

Watch Wear My Kiss