Tuesday 03/06/08 Santogold @ The Scala, London

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Hotly tipped in musical blogospheres since late '07, Santogold has taken her time to arrive into the limelight.  She's truly there now though - as slots on the notably bookish Newsnight Review and regular 'props' from infamous US showbiz blogger Perez Hilton indicate.  In truth it was always going to happen: Santolgold (Santi White) boasts MIA as a chum, Mark Ronson as a supporter and Diplo as a producer.

Having been informed that our ailing heroine has cancelled other UK dates in deference to this one, gratitude later turns to grumpiness after 30 minutes and still no Santogold.  She might be achingly hip, but we now have aching hips.  Detecting discontent (loud booing is a particular hint), her DJ Darko comes out to pacify the paying public: an odd bevy of blonde beauties, jumpered men with floppy fringes and those of enough years to remember when his Smiths and Sting records first hit the charts.

'Roxanne' is nice, but we want Santogold, and eventually out she bounds.  Flanked by two implacable dancers in tight white outfits and fabulously bedecked as ever, she signals to a relieved Darko and quickly launches into a furious versions of 'You'll Find A Way' and ‘L.E.S Artistes’. The peaks are astonishing: no-one else on the current music scene can match Santogold's shrill, pure notes, and most would lose tonsils trying.  Up close and personal, her vocals sound even better, enervating and gloriously unfettered.

Between songs, a precocious lad named Liam is invited on stage to demonstrate his freestyle dancing, and a story about label-mate Spank Rock nicknaming narcotics is rather lost in translation.  Meantime the fast and furious keep on coming amid a sea of samples, including the sassy rap and catchy chants of 'Shuv It.'  "We think you're a joke, shove your hope where it don't shine", sings along Gigwise and the gaggle, between 'ay-yay-yay's from the encouraging ringleader up on stage.