Live Performances
Girls Aloud first performed "The Promise" on BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge on 25 September, as well as a cover of Timbaland and OneRepublic's "Apologize", although Sarah Harding had originally wanted to perform "Sex on Fire" by Kings of Leon. Nadine Coyle was not present, as she was ill with shingles.
The first televised performance occurred on 18 October 2008, on The X Factor, on which Cheryl Cole served as a member of the judging panel at the time. The group wore their hair in big bouffant style with sparkling gold dresses, similar to those in the music video. Positioned in front of a lit-up frame, they sang live and performed simple, synchronized choreography. As the song's key change occurred, pyrotechnics exploded from the ceiling and a shower of sparks fell behind Girls Aloud. At the song's end, a second explosion of pyrotechnics occurred at the front of the stage. The group also performed the song on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, GMTV, T4, and This Morning throughout promotion. Girls Aloud performed the song at the annual Children in Need telethon, as well as year-end shows like Top of the Pops' Christmas and New Year's Eve specials and 4Music's Top Tunes of 2008.
For their variety show The Girls Aloud Party, which aired between The X Factor's finale and its results show on 13 December, Girls Aloud wore tight silver fishtail dresses. The outfits were compared to those of Diana Ross in the 1960s, as well as the movie musical Dreamgirls. At the 2009 BRIT Awards, Girls Aloud performed in sleeveless sequined leotards. Accompanied by male dancers in white suits, the group performed a routine involving pink feather fans, giving the illusion of nudity until they emerged from behind the fans. The performance was nominated for Most Memorable Performance the following year at the 2010 BRIT Awards.
"The Promise" served as the opening song for Girls Aloud's 2009 Out of Control Tour. Girls Aloud "first appeared rising up through the floor on podiums in a haze of silver sparkle" for the opening, in which they are "wearing long, spangly dresses which they whipped off to reveal short mini skirts." The dresses, described as "angelic, shimmering, full-length gowns," were designed by Welsh fashion designer Julien MacDonald, along with the rest of the costumes. A dance-beat reprise of the song ended the show.
Girls Aloud performed "The Promise" at the 2012 Royal Variety Performance in London in November 2012 to celebrate their tenth anniversary and promote their greatest hits album Ten. It was televised on 3 December 2012 to over 8 million viewers. It was also performed at Capital FM's Jingle Bell Ball as part of a headlining set.
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