Rise Festival, Finsbury Park, 15 July 2007

Move over Beth Ditto. Shingai Shoniwa is now officially the coolest lady in rock. Wild haired, donning gigantic gold shoulder pads and torn florescent green leggings, she didn’t just warm up the crowd at Europe’s largest anti-racism festival - she set them alight.

The Noisettes front woman told us how it’s a dream come true performing between sets by Jamelia and Kelis.

‘We’re all very different but that’s what makes London so incredible,’ she said.
She couldn't have summed-up Rise better.

Shingai’s stunning vocal range stretched from growls to squeals. She showed prowess, playing both electric and bass guitar as she strutted around the stage, jumping off amps and sliding to her knees.

She dedicated a song to her Mum in the crowd who was looking nearly as cool as Shingai and sang along to all the words of the Noisettes’ punk-funk tunes.

Jamelia was looking stylish in black and gold, the highlight of her set being a melodious cover of Gnarles Barkley’s Crazy, which got the crowd singing in harmony.

‘Hey, wazzup!’ Kelis screamed as she entered the stage following a ten-minute instrumental by her band.

Defining sexy in a satin miniskirt and white heals, she got the crowd rocking out to ‘Blindfold Me’, before slowing it down for ‘Lil’ Star’. ‘Trick Me’, showed her fusing rock and R’n’B as only she knows how.

But it was Kelis’ Milkshake that had brought all the boys (and girls) to Finsbury Park as she showed she really knows how to dance and got the entire crowd singing and dancing along too.