Capital Radio's Summertime Ball takes up where the station's old Party in the Park left off in 2004: it's a no-nonsense six hours of brief sets by today's "hottest hit music artists", ushered on and off by presenters Lisa Snowdon and Johnny Vaughan, who make a great many jokes about Capital's "massive balls". Selecting the acts was apparently done by some clinically efficient committee: if you've had a No 1 pop, R&B or hip-hop single recently, you're in, no questions asked. Each performer is accompanied by fireworks and Day-Glo graphics, the whole thing amounting to a million calories of sugar-loaded entertainment.Inevitably, the quality is patchy. Kesha, who styles herself as a hedonistic trash-popper, is more Avril Lavigne with synthesisers, and Cheryl Cole is overshadowed by her dancers, one of whom escorts her offstage hand-in-hand. Rihanna looks like an actor playing a pop singer, and Usher is soulless; tellingly, the highlight of his set is a guest appearance by will.i.am and Justin Bieber on the hit OMG. Alexandra Burke, though, is a pleasant surprise: X Factor winners seldom have a trace of the actual x-factor, but she's a dynamo. Any more shouting, though, and Davina McCall will want her larynx back.
Holding the event at Wembley divests it of atmosphere, but none of the 15 acts complains. Almost without exception, they goggle at the size of the crowd, rapper Chipmunk speaking for all when he says: "Seventy thousand people singing my songs! That's crazy!"
For most, this will be the only time they'll ever play Wembley, and they know it: each is bent on making the most of their moment. They vie to wear the most chucklesome costume (Burke's disco-astronaut leotard wins) and display the greatest amount of oiled torso. Usher is the standout here.
But it's the ones who don't dress up who make the greatest impression. The tiny 16-year-old Canadian Bieber is presently every 12-year-old girl's dreamboat, and his entrance is greeted with hysteria. His voice hasn't broken, and he's as charismatic as a cocker spaniel, but he sings and dances like someone to look out for in 2017 or so.
In this company, it was easy for Dizzee Rascal to steal the show. He stalks the stage, authoritatively blasting out Dirtee Disco, Bonkers and, with guest Florence Welch, a joyous You Got the Dirtee Love. Catchy, inclusive and energetic, his songs force even the stewards to dance.
Capital Radio's Summertime Ball takes up where the station's old Party in the Park left off in 2004: it's a no-nonsense six hours of brief sets by today's "hottest hit music artists", ushered on and off by presenters Lisa Snowdon and Johnny Vaughan, who make a great many jokes about Capital's "massive balls". Selecting the acts was apparently done by some clinically efficient committee: if you've had a No 1 pop, R&B or hip-hop single recently, you're in, no questions asked. Each performer is accompanied by fireworks and Day-Glo graphics, the whole thing amounting to a million calories of sugar-loaded entertainment.Inevitably, the quality is patchy. Kesha, who styles herself as a hedonistic trash-popper, is more Avril Lavigne with synthesisers, and Cheryl Cole is overshadowed by her dancers, one of whom escorts her offstage hand-in-hand. Rihanna looks like an actor playing a pop singer, and Usher is soulless; tellingly, the highlight of his set is a guest appearance by will.i.am and Justin Bieber on the hit OMG. Alexandra Burke, though, is a pleasant surprise: X Factor winners seldom have a trace of the actual x-factor, but she's a dynamo. Any more shouting, though, and Davina McCall will want her larynx back.Holding the event at Wembley divests it of atmosphere, but none of the 15 acts complains. Almost without exception, they goggle at the size of the crowd, rapper Chipmunk speaking for all when he says: "Seventy thousand people singing my songs! That's crazy!"For most, this will be the only time they'll ever play Wembley, and they know it: each is bent on making the most of their moment. They vie to wear the most chucklesome costume (Burke's disco-astronaut leotard wins) and display the greatest amount of oiled torso. Usher is the standout here.But it's the ones who don't dress up who make the greatest impression. The tiny 16-year-old Canadian Bieber is presently every 12-year-old girl's dreamboat, and his entrance is greeted with hysteria. His voice hasn't broken, and he's as charismatic as a cocker spaniel, but he sings and dances like someone to look out for in 2017 or so.In this company, it was easy forDizzee Rascal to steal the show. He stalks the stage, authoritatively blasting out Dirtee Disco, Bonkers and, with guest Florence Welch, a joyous You Got the Dirtee Love. Catchy, inclusive and energetic, his songs force even the stewards to dance.
