Scouting For Girls

30th March 2026 at Circuit, Kingston

Bouncing onstage, frontman Roy Stride, was full of energy and enthusiasm. He tells us upfront what to expect, one old song, and then one brand new song from Scouting for Girls brand new album These Are The Good Days. Also on stage are bassist Greg Churchouse, drummer Peter Ellard and guitarist Connor McDonald (who strongly resembles Alan Cumming from where I was standing). We are told that we, the audience, are the fifth member of Scouting For Girls for the evening.

The band kick off with the super catchy Heartbeat (“every time that we meet, I skip a heartbeat”). True to their word, they follow this with the first track and title track from their new album, These Are The Good Days. A groovy, upbeat, optimistic number (“we’ll look back and say they were golden days”).

An old, novelty song I Wish I Was James Bond is played next. Roy moves from keyboards to the piano onstage, and later also picks up a guitar. His energy is infectious. Another new song, Don’t You Go Solo, track number five from the new album, did they mention that they had a new album out?

The classic This Ain’t A Love Song, is followed by track three from the new album Waiting For Your Love. A frenetic, heavy number. 

Roy recalls that before a previous tour they asked people to vote for which song they wanted to hear, and the song that got more votes that the rest put together was Posh Girls. There’s a bit of banter about turning to your friend and deciding which of you is the posh one! Then it’s track two of the new album (did they mention that they had a new album These Are The Good Days?!), Get What You Give. This is a lively pop tune and sounds perfect for a road trip on a hot day.

The band take a moment to film live footage for social media, and have us, the fifth band member, cheering away.

Another old one, Elvis Ain’t Dead merges into an Elvis classic Can’t Help Falling In Love. The band break from the old-new formula that they set out, and play another old one, Michaela Strachan. The grand finale is the iconic She’s So Lovely.

This is the first time I’ve seen Scouting For Girls after nearly 20 years but they have so much energy and are so cheerful, I left the venue feeling uplifted and having had so much fun.