Santogold at KOKO...

Santogold live didn't really work for me... Their set started with a 20 minute DJ mash-up which included a couple of tracks by The Cure and some Smiths and Police... This was presumably to remind all the kids that Santogold are 'oh so heavily' influenced by 80's new wave. The backing band continued the 80's theme, looking like Blondie (including a Debbie Harry look-a-like on bass) and all dressed in matching trousers, shirts and bow ties... The front of the stage, however, had Santi White and her two backing singers wearing enough gold lamé to cloth a couple of Martin Fry's. And so, here was Santogold wearing their true colors, a hip-hop gold rather than any ska or new wave black and white. The music reflected this and even the more indie tinged songs on the album sounded like also-ran hip-hop with the choreographed moves by the backing singers, and the parts where Santi and the girls shake their booty just so...

I'll stick to the Santogold mix-tapes...