© Bestival 2011/Louise Roberts
Glancing down at the list of performers at the 100 Club yesterday evening (August 7) for the latest in their series of gigs with Converse, headliner Santigold had quite a task on her hands.
As if competing with hotly-tipped New York band Friends and shiny new indie-poppers Citizens! wasn't tricky enough, she had to follow Guardian darlings Django Django, who risked out-shining the singer after a recent string of much-lauded festival appearances.
The Edinburgh art-school graduates powered through a short-but-sweet 30-minute slot with their wildly acclaimed debut of psychedelic indie, admitting they were grateful to be playing their first indoor show in months.
© Ian West/PA Wire/Press Association Images
But arriving on stage donning some kooky eyewear and flanked by a pair of expressionless backing singers and dancers, Santigold appeared pleasingly unfazed for a singer who until only very recently felt like she was getting in her stride.
The Pennsylvanian opened her 45-minute set with the reggae-electro 'GO!' from her latest record Master of My Make-Believe, followed by breakthrough hit 'L.E.S Artistes', sang with the echoey, sing-speak style that initially drew unwelcome comparisons to MIA.
Save a moment when she squeezed as much of the audience as possible onto the stage for a song, the singer rarely switched from her carefree persona; though her on-stage entourage were equipped with enough bizarre props including pom-poms, sledgehammers and frilly umbrellas to keep the crowd intrigued until the barnstorming finale of 'Big Mouth'. The result was a confident showing from a singer whose transition from hot new thing to fully-fledged popstar is proving to be a graceful one.
>Read Digital Spy's review of Master of My Make-Believe
Watch the music video for Santigold's latest single 'The Keepers' below:
