Originally from in Cincinnati but now based in London, Catlea are a duo who perform musical alchemy and mix up electronica, pop, dance, indie, rock (or, indeed anything else they wish to throw in their cauldron) to great effect. Appearing against a swirling backdrop of tarot cards (a nod to the cover of their latest album, Language Barrier) they cast a spell over the crowd and turn all eyes (and ears) towards the stage. Their songs are performed in bundles and sorted by “feel” and “emotion” and so their set has a natural ululation that ebbs and flows taking the crowd to heady highs and loquacious lows. An intriguing set that marks Catlea as one to watch.

On the second instalment of a UK jaunt, Betty Boo picks up right where she left off and gets straight into the groove with opening shot ‘Boomerang’. The title-track from her comeback album (her first in three decades), it found her making a welcome return, buoyant and vibrant as ever. As if to make up for lost time, there’s no elongated introductions or fancy preambles, just that funky beat and then Betty is off, delivering lyrics in a rapid fire manner and manipulating words as if they are made of chewing gym. There’s an elasticity to her rapping, a playful approach that turns words into plasticine, bending and shaping them in much the same way that a guitarist will curve and arch strings. It’s a rowdy opener that explodes like fireworks illuminating the November sky, a cornucopia of sight and sound that’s quickly followed by ‘Hey DJ!/I Can’t Dance (To The Music You’re Playing)’, a song that sends us spinning (psychedelically) back through space and time to Betty’s genesis and her collaboration with The Beatmasters in 1989. It sets the tone for the rest of the evening and the songs will be delivered in this quick fire fashion, with little time wasted on between song banter, things have a frenetic, slightly edgy feel (as all good gigs should). There’s a certain effervescence emanating from the stage which means ‘Get Me To The Weekend’ does exactly what it says on the tin and turns a freezing cold Wednesday in Birmingham(!) into a balmy Saturday night (in the Hawaiian Ballroom).

With Betty appearing in a sparkly dress and her co-vocalist in a leopardskin bodysuit, the pair look as if they have stepped straight from an uber-cool film noir (think Alphaville). There was always a retro-tinged, futuristic feel to Betty’s aesthetic (as if beamed from an age yet to come to our present) and that’s exactly the vibe brought tonight and all that’s really missing are rayguns and lightsabers. It’s a look which means that the two vocalists don’t have to rely on any type of fancy production or extraneous distractions; the look and, of course, the songs are enough to hold the crowd’s attention. And when the tunes as good as ‘Barbarella’, ‘Doin’ The Do’ and ‘Rip Up The Rulebook’, why would you look elsewhere? The fast-paced nature of the show means that the end of the evening comes around far too soon, taking even Betty by surprise but not before an encore of ‘Doin’ The Do’ makes a reappearance (so good they played it twice) to send everyone home with a spring in their step and Betty on their mind.

Betty Boo Set List:

1. Boomerang
2. Hey DJ!/I Can’t Dance (To The Music You’re Playing)
3. Doin’ It To Def
4. 808
5. Get Me To The Weekend
6. Shining Star
7. Barbarella
8. Hangover
9. I’m On My Way
10. Doin’ The Do
11. Rip Up The Rulebook
12. Let Me Take You There
13. Spotlight
14. Superstar
15. Stop Your Nonsense (Bubblegum Pop!)
16. Where Are You baby?
17. Pure & Simple

Encore:

18. Doin’ The Do