Pussycat Dolls fans are left baffled as 'tech issues' stop Nicole Scherzinger from singing Buttons - and Ashley Roberts and Kimberly Wyatt fail to jump in

Pussycat Dolls fans were left baffled on Wednesday as a reported technical issue stopped Nicole Scherzinger performing their hit song Buttons during their show in Poland – leaving Ashley Roberts and Kimberly Wyatt awkwardly dancing on stage. 

After excitedly announcing their big music return earlier this year, Nicole, 48, Kimberly, 44, and Ashley, 45, kicked off their comeback tour this month – despite a string of setbacks and controversies. 

However, their latest gig held at COS Torwar in Warsaw was thrown into chaos when lead singer Nicole was missing from the first half of the song, with it being said that a technical problem or a wardrobe malfunction was to blame.

Having just performed a medley of her solo tracks, the concert then moved into a climactic moment for their massive global hit Buttons, but with Nicole nowhere to be seen, Ashley and Kimberly were left simply performing the impressive choreography while a backing track played.

In a fan video shared to Instagram, the highly awkward moment saw the women fail to step in and sing Nicole's part, simply chiming in with their minimal vocals with a large gap between them where Nicole should have been. 

The blunder attracted plenty of comments from bewildered fans questioning why Ashley or Kimberly didn't seize the moment to show off their vocals, with many noting that former member Melody Thornton would have stepped up.

While Nicole did a majority of the vocals, Melody, 41, occasionally sang lead vocals and major ad-libs in some Pussycat Dolls numbers, with the singer famously stealing the spotlight by belting out unassigned harmonies during a performance of Buttons at the 2006 American Music Awards.

Tickled fans penned in the comments: 'Where’s Melody when you need her?'

'THIS WAS YOUR CHANCE LADIES'; 'Melody would’ve said watch this'

'glorified oh oh girls, THAT WAS UR CHANCE KIM & ASHLEY!!! but neither of them stepping up to fill in shows me EXACTLY why those 2 were asked to return. Carmit & Melody would have moved to center & taken that opportunity IMMEDIATELY.

'Melody could’ve saved the day; 'Now Melody on the other hand wouldn’t have waisted a single SECOND'

'No one wanted to take this moment to shine? No one? Sad.'

'I think they were still waiting for Nicole to show up. They were not prepared for this.'

'Girl.. if @melodythornton or @therealcarmit were there, they would’ve stepped right on it and handled the business that should’ve been handled.'

The Daily Mail has contacted Pussycat Dolls representatives for comment. 

The on-stage calamity comes days after the group jokingly prayed for no mishaps as they prepared to kick off their European and UK tour. 

In a video shared to their Instagram, Nicole, Ashley and Kimberly can be seen kneeling in mock prayer, alongside the words: 'Manifesting a tour of flawless vocals, iconic dance breaks, no tech issues and zero n*p slips.'

It comes as the band have been forced to slash the ticket prices of their upcoming UK shows to just over £37, months after they scrapped their US dates due to poor sales. 

Luckily for fans, the poor ticket sales means they have the opportunity to grab tickets at a much lower cost, with Ticketmaster offering a limited-time offer which enables four tickets to be purchased for £150 – meaning just £37.50 per person.

Ticketmaster's website states: 'Get the group together for the ultimate night out as The Pussycat Dolls bring the PCD Forever Tour to the stage. 

'With our exclusive group ticket offer, you can experience the iconic hits, fierce choreography and signature PCD glamour live!

'Don’t cha wish your group had tickets? Get four tickets for just £150, including fees – book now!'

The Daily Mail has contacted Pussycat Dolls representatives for comment. 

After touring Europe, the trio are set to kick off the UK leg of their tour with a stop at Birmingham's Utilita Arena on September 29, followed by Nottingham's Motorpoint Arena on September 30.

This is followed by dates in Leeds, Liverpool, Glasgow, Newcastle and Manchester throughout October, before they wrap up in London's O2 on October 13. 

The girls' PCD Forever Tour was initially meant to kick off on June 5 at Palm Desert, California, but in a humiliating blow, the band had to scrap 33 dates planned for their native US, as well as Canada, after low sales left arenas 80 per cent empty. 

Even after slashing the price of seats to just $30 (£22), organisers had no choice but to pull the plug just a month before they were set to have their first show in California.