Despite the reality TV origins of these scantily-clad poptarts it would appear that the media is not one of their favourite things.

"Don't ask us any questions about tabloid stories," says Newcastle girl Cheryl Tweedy - she of the assault conviction after that nightclub incident last year. "They're never true."

"They write horrible stuff and they write good stuff now and again," chips in Kimberley Walsh. "We hear it all the time and it's boring to us. Half of it's not true anyway. It's all annoying."

A quick tap into Google and you will see what they mean. From the notorious allegations of Cheryl's racist behaviour in a toilet (she was eventually found guilty of attacking the attendant, but not of a racially-aggravated assault) to constant claims that one of the girls is about to run off to a solo career and reports that they were asked to ditch their boyfriends by their record company for the sake of the band, the manufactured starlets are ultimate gossip fuel.

Yet these are girls-next-door-made-good were created by the media hype they now despise.

In December 2002 ordinary lasses Nadine Coyle, Cheryl Tweedy, Kimberley Walsh, Sarah Harding and Nicola Roberts were chosen from among 20,000 other hopefuls (including Eurovision's Javine) for TV show Popstars: The Rivals.

The boy band manufactured at the same time, One True Voice, disappeared within a matter of weeks. But Girls Aloud have now been around for nearly three years - an extraordinary longevity for reality TV popstars putting them in the Will Young league. Nevertheless, they still have the media to thank for being plucked from nowhere, selling millions of records and having their faces plastered on posters firmly affixed to teen walls.

A case of biting the hand that feeds, perchance?

Starts 7.30pm, tickets cost £21. Call 0870 9009100.