Rita Ora & Azealia Banks - Live In Sydney

In the last week I've had the pleasure of seeing two of music's hottest new talents play the same venue. Rita Ora and Azealia Banks are in Australia as part of the Future Music festival but both found time for Sydney side-shows at the Enmore. They were great but the proximity of the gigs highlighted their comparative strengths and weaknesses - and confirmed my suspicion that neither lady has really found her niche just yet. Let's start with the Yung Rapunxel. I love this girl and don't give two fucks if she sits on Twitter 24/7, calling people faggots and feuding with Z-grade rappers. She is living, breathing entertainment - and brought that raw, borderline-manic energy to her live show.

You know you're in for wild ride when the people standing next to you look like escapees from the Jerry Springer set. There were the desperate bitches in hot pants, grinding away like the world wasn't watching their shimmering muffin tops. The suburban white boys dressed like 50 Cent and the indie-gays prancing around like Drag Race contestants. Oh and let's not forget the marijuana fumes that hovered over the crowd like rain clouds at Mardi Gras. It redefined hot mess but I honestly didn't expect anything else and secretly reveled in the ratchetivity.

The show was brief but vibrant. Azealia mostly performed songs from her Fantasea mixtape and 1991 EP, delivering a non-stop stream of '90s dance-infused hip-hop. Highlights included the Diplo-produced "Fuck Up The Fun", a sleek and sexy rendition of "Van Vogue", the hit single that never happened ("Esta Noche") and, of course, her signature tune - "212". As much fun as it was, the weave addict still has work to do on her sound. After a while the songs all bled into one. She is currently a bit of a one trick pony. Happily that one trick is pretty amazing and she has the extra something. Anyone that comes out to twerk in the crowd pre-show is alright by me.

Rita Ora is a more polished product than Azealia. As a graduate of the Roc Nation school of superstar grooming, she is perfectly presented and well-equipped with a designer purse full of tracks from the hottest producers in the music business. I know some people have a problem with Albania's greatest export - she's too similar to Rihanna, has no personality, cheated on Rob Kardashian with 20 men etc - but I enjoyed her debut album and, unlike the woman she's accused of imitating, she has genuine vocal talent. It's too early to predict Rita's future but I'd like to remind the haters that it took Breezy's punching bag three albums to develop her own sound. Give her a break!

There isn't a lot to say about the production. Roc Nation's third lady (behind Beyoncé and Kylie) only had a couple of projections and a microphone. That's enough when you have less than an hour to play and a killer debut album to pull songs from. She played all her hits - "R.I.P.", "How We Do" (complete with a Notorious BIG medley), the incredibly catchy "Shine Ya Light", current single "Radioactive" (below) and my personal theme song "Roc The Life". An unexpected highlight was "Hello, Hi, Goodbye", which is a no brainer for the 28th single from ORA.

The problem with Rita is hard to pinpoint. She has a great voice, amazing style and access to all the hitmakers. But so did Alexis Jordan and look where it got her. I have higher hopes for the unnatural blond but she needs to find her own voice. Why not explore her heritage with some world beats? Kind of like Shakira but without the growling and otherworldly flawlessness? Chances are she won't get that adventurous but Rita needs to find her own lane if she wants to shake the highly offensive poor man's Rihanna title. Fun gig though.

Jessie Ware - Live In Sydney

This is going to be a short review because there are only so many ways you can say - she looked glamorous, sounded brilliant and made amazing use of back-lighting. It's strange how seeing an artist live can completely change your opinion of them and their music. I've always liked Jessie Ware and included Devotion on my best albums of 2012 list but I thought of her as a niche diva. The kinda sophisticated lady you play when you're trying to impress someone or slightly buzzed at 3am. In my mind, she was the second-coming of Sade. Which is a great compliment but an indication that her music might not be best fit for an intimate venue - located above a gay bar, no less.

But Jessie proved me wrong. Her one hour set was positively dripping in sass. She took the odd moment to indulge her jazzy, low-key diva leanings but most of the show was funk-heavy and had the crowd shuffling as much as you can in a room squeezed full of hipsters. From the very first song, a soulful and earthy rendition of "Devotion", it was instantly apparent that the Brit's voice is an instrument of rare quality. She sounded immaculate and gave the material a warmth missing from her album. "Still Love Me" sounded like a different track altogether and "No To Love" was a goosebump-inducing showstopper.

As much I loved those moments, the highlights - for me - were the upbeat songs. "Sweet Talk" is such a slinky anthem. It reminds me of something a Prince protegee might have recorded in the '80s. Equally amazing was "Running" - surely one of the most underrated anthems of 2012. That was a television advertisement away from being massive. And let's not forget my favourite Jessie song, "Wildest Moments". It was worth a trip to the Beresford just to hear that triumphant tune. The rising star promised to return to Australia soon with a bigger show. I'll be there, front and centre.

Beyoncé Bowl & The Resurrection Of DC3

Beyoncé cemented her status as the greatest performer of her generation - and arguably of all time - with a triumphant Super Bowl show earlier today. I know I get carried away when it comes to my Queen but I crying and shaking like a stroke victim during the diva's 13 minute master-class in performance art. With all the inauguration drama of the past couple of weeks, it was such a relief to see Bey do what she does best - make your faves look second rate. But before I run through the many highlights, it's probably easier to get the things I didn't like about her set out of the way first. Because there are so few of them.

1. I thought the finale was a little anti-climactic. King B should have been carried off on a bed of wigs or something equally fabulous instead of standing there giving her thank you, so much! face.
2. As much as I love "End Of Time", this was an occasion for hits - not belated 4 promo.
3. Bey should have sang something off B'Day.
4. I'm not here for recycled Glastonbury choreography.

That's it. I have no other complaints. From beginning to end, the show was immaculate. I loved how there was just enough production to keep it visual without drowning the diva in unnecessary special effects and she tore up the stage like an athlete. All that dancing, wig-whipping and pussy-popping would put most artists in a coma but Beyoncé did it all in heels without missing a note. None of us are worthy!

Who else was fooled by the opening? I was sure we were getting "Run The World (Girls)" but B surprised us all by launching into a few lines from "Love On Top". Obviously just to remind bitches that she has the best voice in music. Take note, Alicia (off-)Keys. And then she did that "Crazy In Love" strut and I started screaming like Adele at Weight Watchers. I will never, ever get sick of that walk until the day I die! Oh and how brilliant was the stage floor? That gave me chills - it was Kylie's "Slow" on a slightly bigger budget.

One of the many things that blows my mind about Mrs Carter is the way she works her weave. I swear that thing has a life of its own! And props for the flawless choreography. It's easy to sound amazing when you're standing still but it's a completely different proposition when you're dippin' in low and pussy poppin' like a Vegas stripper. She even did the iconic "Crazy In Love" thumb lick and gave vintage Michael Jackson by having an unnecessary but completely awesome guitar solo.

Next up was "End Of Time" and I'm glad the song finally got its moment to shine. As I said earlier, I would have preferred something from B'Day - or at least a song that everybody knew - but it is a fucking amazing tune and that Glastonbury choreography deserved another spin. Still, it was kind of cheeky to rehash it. Almost as big a surprise, albeit a much happier one, was the inclusion of "Baby Boy". Seriously, I've been listening to her epic Sean Paul collab all afternoon. That shit still sounds as fresh today as it did in 2003.

"Baby Boy" was flawlessly presented - great use of the BBMA special effects - but the highlight for me was the resurrection of Destiny's Child. We all knew it was happening but I still needed a defibrillator when Kelly and Michelle jumped on stage. They looked so good together and those harmonies! Sweet Jesus! I've never been a huge fan of "Independent Women" but they absolutely nailed it. Surrounded by a ring of fire - no less. Please let this be a sign that they will reunite between solo albums!

This takes me to "Single Ladies". I laughed out loud when Bey literally turned Kelly and Michelle into her backing vocalists. I'm trying to turn the other cheek but that is such a shady, diva move! But, funnily enough, it worked brilliantly. They breathed new life into the song as a group and had fun with the famous choreography. Seeing them together on stage makes me sad that Ms Rowland and Tenitra haven't gone on to bigger things.

Kelly is such a professional. She nailed every move and hit every note. This woman shouldn't be releasing songs about cunnilingus to get attention. And the usual bitches took aim at Michelle for forgetting to whip her wig but she has always been the heart of DC3. There's something so awkward about her - like you know she'd rather be singing about Jesus than tawdry one night stands - that makes you want to give her a big hug. I have so much love for Shell and her two left feet!

I knew there would be at least one ballad and Bey saved it for the finale. "Halo" is probably my favourite song of all time, so I was sobbing after about 10 seconds. After a spectacular array of fireworks and special effects, it was nice that the last two minutes focused on King B's incomparable talent. She doesn't need that shit to put a show. Just give her a microphone. By the time she sang her final note, Twitter had collapsed and wigs had been snatched. Bring on the world tour!

Mariah's Triumphant Return To Australia

Over the Summer I was lucky enough to tag along on Mariah's Australian tour. It was a wild ride with a couple of tense moments but it was a brilliant experience that I will always cherish. All of the shows were good but the Sydney concert was absolutely immaculate. Mimi received unfair criticism for what was perceived to be an overly short set but when you have 917 hits you have to be judicious about what you sing and I think she got the mix right. The diva enjoyed herself so much that she's desperate to return and could be heading back this way as soon as September to tour her new album. I'll be there.

Read my review of Mariah's Australian tour.

Jennifer Lopez Conquers Sydney

There's nothing like an extraordinary concert to make you see an artist in a completely different light. I was always a casual Jennifer Lopez fan but thought she was a vocal lightweight who relied on good looks and clever producers to remain semi-relevant. But I walked away from her show at All Phones arena on Saturday in awe. Jenny is one of our last great pop stars - someone who can entertain you for two hours with good, old-fashioned singing and dancing. What a relief to be spared the clumsy theatrics of Gaga or the soulless bump n' grind of Rihanna. J Lo just looked like a goddess, said a few kind words and danced her arse off. It was one of the best concerts I've seen in a long time.

For someone of Jennifer's stature, the Dance Again tour is actually quite modest production-wise. There isn't much of a set to speak off - just a couple of screens, a runway and a luggage trolley. It says volumes about J Lo's unexpected stage-craft that I barely noticed the empty stage because my eyes never left her. The introduction was typically glamorous. The stunning diva was carried on stage wearing a Dr Zhivago-tastic fur muff before stripping off to a rather unflattering white bodysuit.

It's hard to make that woman look anything less than flawless but she looked like a bedazzled Teletubby. While the outfit was a bit of a miss, the song selection was not. I've always loved the horn-heavy "Get Right" and Jenny did it justice despite a microphone malfunction. "Love Don't Cost A Thing" was a treat and I was happy to hear "I'm Into You" - one of the real highlights from 2011's uneven Love? She left for a costume change to the glorious strains of "Waiting For Tonight", which I always remember as the song that was playing in whatever dive I celebrated the turn of the millennium. Memories!

It was nice to see 2009's scrapped comeback single "Louboutins" get a little love in a video montage. I still think it's a fun song. When Jenny returned in full boxing regalia, the show stepped up a gear. She looked phenomenal with rippling abs and trademark tracksuit. I loved the choreography in the section and the Puerto Rican beauty proved that she is one of the best dancers in the business. I can't believe I actually enjoyed "Goin' In". Before the concert, I would have ranked it one of the year's biggest disappointments but it worked in that context.

Better yet was the medley of old-school urban jams like "Ain't It Funny" and "I'm Real". Whatever happened to Ja Rule? Has he been exiled to the same island of irrelevant rappers currently home to Styles P and Jadakiss? But I digress. The highlight was hearing "Jenny From The Block". I remember thinking it was so edgy at the time. Shame. One of the night's few missteps was the soppy "Baby, I Love You" video interlude - not the awesome R Kelly remix - with her hot toyboy. Stop bragging, bitch!

Next up was a stunning Las Vegas-themed nightclub segment with a bluesy rendition of non-hit "Hold It Don't Drop It". It sounded amazing. Jennifer really burnt a hole in the stage with her sexy moves. "I'm Glad" was a surprise inclusion but it's held up a lot better than I expected. Or maybe it just sounds richer with a live band. The ultimate triple threat then showed off her vocal chops by singing an excellent ballad version of "If You Had My Love" before bringing people back to their feet with "Until It Beats No More" - complete with montage of family photos. It was really cute.

The final segment was nuclear-powered entertainment. Sporting event favourite "Let's Get Loud" was an explosion of colour and ripped bodies, stunning number 96 US chart smash "Papi" was as fabulous as expected and "On The Floor" really is less annoying live. Not sure how I felt about her throne, which looked like a giant vagina from some angles. After the quickest of breaks, she returned for "Dance Again" AKA the vastly improved sequel to "On The Floor". Looking at the chaos around me, I realised that Jenny's gift is her mastery of upbeat party jams. She's never got it right over a whole album - they demand an element of variation - but few pop stars do three-and-a-half minutes of pure pop better. Put 20 of those songs together and you have one hell of a feel-good concert.