Mika, Koko - The Independant - 2007

[meimei88]

Mika, Koko

 

4/5

V is for victory - and for virtuoso

By Elisa Bray

 

Published: 01 March 2007

 

It's hard to believe that Mika's London performances amount to three tiny gigs, including a 30-minute set at gay club night Popstarz. Tonight, the natural born performer is greeted as a true pop star. The 23-year-old's debut album Life in Cartoon Motion, No 1 in the UK chart since it was released early last month, has gone platinum. Beirut-born Mika calls his music "psychopop" and from the moment he runs on stage grinning to"Relax", his energy is unstoppable.

 

Mika's music is a blend of Freddie Mercury, Elton John and Scissor Sisters, and befitting the glam-pop image of his predecessors, he wears a suitably camp glittery hoody and tight green jeans. When he pulls up his hood and bounces up and down, performs contrived moves, or camply swings the mic stand, he inspires mass cheering.

 

Tuesday's Brighton show was cancelled due to a bout of flu, but you'd never know tonight. His falsetto sounds as unfaltering as it does on record and he displays his five-octave range with ease.

 

Like a true showman, he sets the party mood, "I want it to feel like a Friday night!", then throws back his curly mop as he plonks the piano to "Billy Brown". He brings on school friends for the sad "Over My Shoulder", whose choirboy vocals are impressive, but it loses the attention of the crowd.

 

He joins the row against size-zero models in "Big Girl", during which two well-endowed ladies join him on stage to joyful approval. But the song of the night is Mika's debut single "Grace Kelly", the second track to reach the UK No 1 spot from downloads alone. He thanks his fans, but tonight he has a point to make. "When I first wrote this, I didn't think I'd be playing it here," he says. "It's against everyone in the music industry and it's the one that helped me out the most."

 

After all his talk of being a lonely, excluded schoolboy and the five years it took him to get noticed in the industry, you get the sense that this concert is, for Mika, a victorious two fingers up to those who ridiculed or doubted him. A lot of people must be gritting their teeth and counting their losses over this pop sensation.

 

Mika is touring to 17 May (http://www.mikasounds.com)

 

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I cut out review for Howling Bells but you can read it from the link!

[Steph]

thanks, I'm a bit puzzled by the date...

 

isn't it funny how one review can be so positive and another so negative,

 

I like some of the descriptive language here:

 

'from the moment he runs on stage grinning to Relax, his energy is unstoppable' 'he throws back his curly mop' 'as he plonks the piano' 'a victorious two fingers up to those who ridiculed and doubted him'

 

You can just see him in full action...

 

Why does everyone have this obsession with 'campness' though? What IS 'camply swings the mike stand'????

 

So what did Mick Jagger do when he pranced up and down?

[Angelic]

Why does everyone have this obsession with 'campness' though? What IS 'camply swings the mike stand'????

 

So what did Mick Jagger do when he pranced up and down?

 

Mick Jagger ... he camped it up! (Nothing wrong with a bit of camp, in my book).

[FREDDIESDOUBLE]

A lot of people must be gritting their teeth and counting their losses over this pop sensation.

 

We are not !!!!!!!!