Santigold/Amanda Blank/Trouble Andrew @ The Phoenix

Santigold w Amanda Blank and Trouble Andrew
Phoenix Concert Theatre
June 3, 2009

It’s taken a bit of time to actually nail down this review.  Things have been busy.  Not the hugest fan of “dance party” type shows mid-week.  Maybe it shows my age, but its hard to get super pumped for a show when you’ve worked a 10 hour day and have to be up the next morning to do it all again.

Trouble Andrew opened the show.  Didn’t know much about him other than that he’s Santi’s boyfriend, and after witnessing his set, realize that that’s the only reason he’s on the tour.  The set was….interesting.  He looks like he should be in some Epitaph punk band, but he moves like a dancehall star and poses like a rapper…all this would be fine if he had the songs to back it up.  But he doesn’t, his music is terrible.  I guess he’s aiming to be the punk male version of Santi, but it just doesn’t work.

Up next, Spank Rock MC Amanda Blank.  I was super surprised by her set, I hadn’t heard any of her solo material prior to the show and expected it to be similar to Spank Rock….pretty much dirty hip hop, which is always great, especially coming from a woman as beautiful as her.  But her solo work is not typical dirty party hip hop, it’s more danceable electro and she sings.  Her set consisted of songs from her upcoming solo record which is slated for a late July release.  Sounds really promising.  Oh and Spank Rock joined her on stage for a song.  It was bananas.

Santigold  is a natural performer.  She started her set promptly at 11pm and launched into Hold The Line (a new track taken from Diplo and Switch’s new project Major Lazer) and then went straight into the wicked Switch remix of You’ll Find A Way.  I must comment on her stage show, she had her band all dressed the same and had two amazing dancers positioned at the front of the stage to her left and right.  Her dancers were soooo amazing, fully choreographed to the music.  She played all the hits including re-worked versions of her songs from her Top Ranking mix (including my favourite version of I’m A Lady featuring Amanda Blank).  She was joined by Trouble Andrew for a tune as well as Spank Rock for another.  Overall, a good set, high energy and fun.