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It’s been quite a while since Victoria Hesketh burst on to the music scene under the moniker of Little Boots, nabbing first place in the BBC Sound of 2009 poll and releasing debut album ‘Hands’ – and judging by the amount of new material showcased at this weekend’s performance at XOYO in London, no one is more desperate for her grand return than herself.
You’d be forgiven for thinking that walking on stage to be greeted by a wall-to-wall sea of buzzing fans would be intimidating to someone as adorable and miniscule as Little Boots, but if any of those thoughts were going through her head, she didn’t show it. Bursting straight into her set, the lively crowd was treated to a barrage of classic tunes including debut single ‘New In Town’, the epic ‘Earthquake’ and even fan favourite ‘Mathematics’ – each garnering a cry of “I LOVE this one” from different sides of the room.
But it wasn’t all just classics – Boots used this opportunity to push current single ‘Every Night I Say A Prayer’, free download ‘Shake’ and a whole host of brand new songs from her upcoming sophomore release. Drawing heavy inspiration from the 90’s, each new track is built around sky-high choruses and supported by impressive beats and shimmery synths, from disco-tastic ‘Headphones’ to ‘Crescendo’ (which has shades of Kelly Clarkson and Bruno Mars about it). And despite not knowing all the words, the audience did their best to join in, directed perfectly by the blonde bombshell on stage.
After sending the room into a frenzy with RedOne smash ‘Remedy’, Little Boots returned for an unusual encore – everyone in attendance joined together to serenade the her with a Happy Birthday sing along. “This is the best birthday ever,” gushed the singer, before composing herself for one final song. And it’s fair to say the fans left XOYO satisfied, thanks to a perfectly constructed night of old and new hits.
