hussel hussel hussel

For years now I have wanted to see M.I.A live, and so when tickets came out for her recent tour promoting /\/\/\Y/\ I was more than a little excited. Brixton Academy was the venue and on arrival I was a little disgruntled to find I'd inadvertantly booked BALCONY SEATS,a hideous rookie mistake. We made the best of the sitution though, trying to console ourselves with the fact we could have a good time wherever we were.

Having arrived quite late and missing the support acts it wasn't long before M.I.A made her entrance, and boy was she hot. She may be nearly forty but there ain't no question she still got it. Swaggering in dressed in shiny garms, a head dress and accompanied by two dancers, a DJ/drummer and a set with more flashing lights than Oxford St at Christmas the opening Bamboo Bangaaa promised great things.




As we wound our way through the classics including old favourite Galang, World Town and Boyz (during which she got some fans from the crowd to join her on stage - curses) there weren't many interruptions from the new album which I was grateful for, seeing as I'd hardly listened to it and find XXXO plain annoying.
Born Free did however make an appearance minus its controversial video counterpart, replacing it an onstage screen with distorted captchas and other digital imagery accompanying the frantic shouting of the songstress, who at one point dove into the crowd. Despite all this energy I didn't really get the impression our beloved rapper was paticularly enjoying herself, which may explain why after a fifty minute set and a performance of the ubiquitous Paper Planes she departed.

At first we all thought it was merely a break, but no. I felt short changed, the party had only just got started and where were the rest of the classics, where was Hussel, where was Bingo and where was 10 dollar or even 20? In her pocket was the answer, and she'd gone and done one. What would have been an amazing gig all round was hacked short, it was as cruel as taking away your hot sausage roll on a winter morning just as you're about to take that second bite. For this reason I'd think twice about seeing her again, and would only recommend it if she's playing as part of a larger bill, cos £28's a lot to fork out for a show lasting less than an hour.