Saturday, June 15, 2024
Islington Assembly Hall, London
The early 1990s saw Betty Boo rise to prominence as one of Britain’s most successful acts, with a blend of hip-hop and pop-rap that earned her a platinum-selling debut album with ‘Boomania’ (1990) and a BRIT Award for British Breakthrough Act.
Her original tenure may have been short-lived, but taking to the stage at the Islington Assembly Hall for her first headline show in almost two years – the day after announcing her fourth studio album, ‘Rip Up The Rulebook’ – she proved there are plenty more chapters left to be written in the Betty Boo story yet.
A combination of writer’s block and caring for her sick mother saw the star shun the spotlight after the release of her second album, ‘GRRR! It’s Betty Boo’ (1992), but having written for acts including Girls Aloud and Paloma Faith over the years, she returned in 2022 with Get Me To The Weekend – the lead single from her comeback LP, ‘Boomerang’ – and an apt opening number for this Saturday night show.
Underpinned by a sample of The Human League’s classic Love Action, it marked a return to form from the singer, songwriter and rapper and, sequenced alongside her ‘90s hit I’m On My Way – which itself features an interpolation of Lady Madonna by The Beatles – exudes a similar charm to those early recordings.
A set skewed towards her 21st century repertoire, recent tracks like Shining Star, Boomerang and Superstar blended seamlessly with catalogue staples such as the country-tinged Hangover and sun-soaked Let Me Take You There, with the 17-song run showcasing her versatility and the breadth of styles that make up the Boo sound.
Having performed a support set early in the evening, Paul Carter of The Beatmasters returned to the stage for Hey DJ!/I Can’t Dance (To That Music You’re Playing) – the track that launched Betty Boo into the global charts 35 years ago – while a selection of tunes from the forthcoming LP were warmly received in a venue packed with fans of all ages.
Intergalactic pop number Barbarella – the opening song on ‘Rip Up The Rulebook’ which, she noted, was written less than a month ago – saw Boo draw allusions to the comic book icon that surely inspired the visuals to her biggest hit Where Are You Baby?, while the feelgood, disco jam Spotlight and sentimental One Day both have future single potential.
It was another new song, Bring On The Summer, that drew one of the biggest reactions of the night, with the crowd jumping along to the EDM-influenced banger en masse from the get-go, as with her signature hit Doin’ The Do – a song so popular she performed the iconic number twice.
Less than five years ago, Betty Boo’s name was steeped in nostalgia with a legacy that seemed destined to remain in the ‘90s. But in reemerging and entering the studio with new collaborators, co-writers and producers Andy Wright and Gavin Goldberg, her return to the limelight has been nothing short of sensational, reestablishing Betty Boo as a true hip-hop pioneer (Public Enemy’s Chuck D and Grandmaster Caz – the main writer of the seminal Rapper’s Delight – are among the artists that have appeared on her most recent records) and, if her new material is anything to go by, one of British pop’s enduring greats.
Setlist: Betty Boo at Islington Assembly Hall, London
1. Get Me To The Weekend
2. I’m On My Way
3. Hey DJ / I Can’t Dance (To That Music You’re Playing) (with Paul Carter from The Beatmasters.)
4. Shining Star
5. Barbarella
6. Hangover
7. Let Me Take You There
8. Spotlight
9. Doin’ The Do
10. Superstar
11. Bring On The summer
12. Stop Your Nonsense (Bubblegum Pop!)
13. Boomerang
14. One Day
15. Where Are You Baby
16. Pure And Simple (Hear’Say cover)
17. Doin’ The Do (Reprise)
