At the start of the year it seemed that Mika might become the acceptable face of pop in 2007, both hip and joyously uncool. The underground hype was bubbling nicely, his good looks were getting him modelling contracts, and chances of him becoming a kind of male version of Lily Allen seemed good.
Then came ‘Grace Kelly’ – a cracking track, albeit three minutes of singalong nonsense. But, and herein lies the trouble, months after the song hit the top of the charts, the shaggin’ thing is still there. It’s fast becoming an overplayed albatross for Mika. Maybe it’s this realisation that makes the half-Lebanese singer’s performance of the song so underwhelming on the night.
All the ridiculously catchy hooks are there – the Freddie Mercury bit, the ‘ka-ching’ bit – and the audience laps it up. But something is missing. Freddie Mercury might be his idol, but the Queen frontman knew how to give an audience what it wants. In contrast, Mika’s performance lacks any va-va-voom, his otherwise impressive voice drowned out by his colourfully attired backing band.
There’s no denying the boy has some talent. Ironically, he’s much more engaging elsewhere, either perched at the piano or prowling the stage during the upbeat numbers. But the problem remains that Mika can seem little more than a pop magpie, nicking the best bits from a whole load of acts and not adding enough of himself.
‘Happy Ending’ sounds like Rufus Wainwright. Next single ‘Love Today’ sounds like the Scissor Sisters. Set closer ‘Lollipop’ is a disarmingly simple pop gem, but then the band start flinging beach balls into the audience and Spirit becomes like a Poundworld version of a Flaming Lips show. Ouch.
Apparently, Mika is playing this year’s Oxegen. If he’s to make an impact there, he’ll need to pick up some stage tips. Maybe he should stop listening to Queen and start watching them instead.