Black Eyed Peas/Pussycat Dolls @ NEC

Jun 14 2006 By Alison Dayani, Birmingham Mail

IT seemed like a real double whammy to get both the Black Eyed Peas and Pussycat Dolls performing on the same night.

But it all became apparent why two such big names were sharing a stage when the Pussycats revealed the Peas' Fergie had once been part of their dance troupe before they were famous.

Warming up the crowd in a 40-minute performance, the Pussycats lived up to the hype, writhing to the music wearing just enough to keep them decent.

But lead singer Nicole's voice was surprisingly strong and even put Fergie in the shade.

When the Peas did make it on stage, they were bouncing with personality, opening with Hey Mama.

There was a series of hits, but the show seemed drawn out with too many covers and the large NEC Arena lost a lot of the atmosphere created by this lively group.

But the large stage gave the overly provocative Fergie the chance to move around and even do bizarre cartwheels while singing.

The Black Eyed Peas are always going to be entertaining, but this was a lacklustre performance.