London,

Katy Perry proves she's more than one hit

By André Paine, Evening Standard  10.06.09

She occasionally strapped on a guitar and her pink‑suited band made a bit of noise at this first of two sold-out Shepherds Bush shows. But despite Katy Perry’s wide-eyed energy and the driving rock flavour to her songs, it was an unmistakably pop experience.

Of course, pop shows require hits, so as a debut album artist, Perry also had to draw on her sassy, mildly provocative personality to keep us interested for 80 minutes.

Surrounded by plastic pink flamingos and a giant love heart, Perry opened with the air-punching Fingerprints and the lyrically irritating One of the Boys. However, she soon provided the show’s first satisfyingly big moment with the pounding Hot n Cold.

Gallery: More pictures from the concert

The 24-year-old singer’s squeaky Californian commentary was at times irksome but at least she had something to say, whether raving about the previous night’ s Beyoncé O2 arena show, complaining about the London weather or lambasting the Underground alcohol ban.

“F*** the Tube,” Perry bawled — coincidentally how plenty of us felt as we considered our difficult journey home last night. Although she did feel the need to sweetly add: “Sorry, Tube guys.”

There were some unremarkable tunes where Perry sounded like a less emphatic Pink or, when she had her guitar, an ersatz Avril Lavigne. And the rendition of Please Mr Postman was unspeakable, mainly down to the bizarre decision to have someone on stage dressed up as a Royal Mail postie handing out letters to a bemused crowd.

Overall, though, Perry offered an effective combination of glamour and industry, which meant she rarely stopped bouncing around. And she clearly enjoyed the more notorious tunes such as Ur So Gay, about a boyfriend who “wasn’t really on my team”.

The finale of the global hit I Kissed a Girl was superlative, especially the hilarious and even slightly cruel build-up, where she took “Nina from Hertfordswhere” to task in the front row for producing the wrong flavour lip balm to go with the lyric.

“I did not fly thousands of miles to be here tonight for apple ChapStick,” mock-scolded Perry, clutching a giant inflatable version of her preferred cherry flavour.

Smarter and funnier than the average pop star, Katy Perry proved she’s more than a few risqué anthems. She could be here to stay.

Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.

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