Believe the hype. During Santogold’s performance of ‘Creator’ at tonight’s Edinburgh gig, she proves that those screeching cat calls are humanly possible. And that’s just the tip of Santi White’s 24-carat ice-berg. With little predictability, this magnetic self-proclaimed lady draws us in. From new wave and electro to dub and bhangra, her beats are global- reaching all of us one blinging spoonful at a time.
The set is over faster than you can snap your wrist and say ‘Brap!’ All concept of time is gone as White waves her arms as if to lasso her captives from the start. Opening with ‘You’ll Find a Way’ the stage is fit for an iPod advert. Two dancers dressed identically in monochrome with oversized shades pull even greater sized shapes on either side of the main attraction.
Santogold’s hybrid sound has the same message as the jumpsuit she wears – anything goes. She’s the new black everyone can wear. Although the dancers drop it like it’s hot (and it is as hot as a Brooklyn summer night in this basement), this isn’t just fodder for the new rave generation. After all, White has some great material to work with. Nobody has bones impervious to the hypnotic rock of ‘LES Artistes’ or the reggae rhythms of ‘Shove It’. And even if they did, each dancer’s pop emphasises every grimey beat so we don’t have to.
Santogold’s versatile pop is cutting edge. When she takes it down a notch for ‘Anne’ the carnival fever of ‘Say Aha’ dissipates and the audience are left entranced, either by White’s surreal piercing coos or the two tambourines shaken by her bespectacled companions. All that glitters is not gold, it’s Santogold.