Reviews

Lucky for her then that her ex-child-actor precociousness is neutralized as soon as she opens her mouth. Because, boy oh boy, can this girl sing.

With their sweet songs of beer-soaked regret at getting involved with unsuitable boys and underage teenage sirens, Rilo Kiley are the kind of band who look more at home playing in a smoky bar in the American heartlands, rather than a stuffy Academy 3. 

And if you can't believe that Miss Lewis - clad in a rather stunning pair of shimmery hotpants - could ever get her heart broken in the way she croons so sweetly about, you can certainly believe her when she winks at the audience during Portions For Foxes and declares herself to be very bad news indeed.

In fact, even if we don't discount the rather wonderful plaintive ukulele and mandolin rendition of Ripchord, this is Jenny's night; certified when the band play a rather funk-ridden version of Rise Up With Fists from her solo album.

The only chink in Rilo Kiley's glittering indie armour is the rather lacklustre version of Give A Little Love, provided during the first encore; the two backing singers standing rigid and looking more as though they had been shoe-horned into doing karaoke, rather than being encouraged to celebrate a bit of the spotlight.

But all in all, this wasn't a gig so much as a one woman charm offensive, complete with audience members being given high fives just for turning up. Rilo Kiley can claim to be a lot of things, but certainly can't call themselves just another American mainstream act.