Mr. Hudson, live at One Leicester Square

It must be pretty shit being Kanye West's protege. No matter how wonderful your Thameside electro pop is, it's safe to assume that 'ol Yeezy will get the bulk of the credit and what's more, you'll never have the same amount of award statues on your shelf, diamonds in your gums or honeys in your wake as he has.

Even musically, Mr. Hudson is something of an odd case. In 2010, Benjamin Hudson McIldowie (a popstar moniker if ever I heard one...) went from supporting The Magic Numbers and The Noisettes in medium-sized clubs to appearing on tracks with Jay-Z, Dizzee Rascal and Mr. West in a matter of months. He numbers Billie Holiday, Chet Baker and The Specials among his influences (yeah, neither do I...) and he writes all of his blip hop hits on Spanish guitar. Confused yet?

My first and only Mr. Hudson live experience, at Dublin's Trinity Ball back in April, left me decidedly cold. Tonight, the setting couldn't be further from the cobbles of Ireland's least gangsta university - the blonde beatmaker has been drafted in to help launch the LG Optimus One (not a transformer, but a particularly nifty smartphone) in a penthouse high above Leicester Square.

A smaller and more showbiz locale quickly proves to be a much better fit for the perplexing Mr. H. Accompanied by divine vocalist Joy Joseph, the white-haired maestro launches into the thumping 'Love Never Dies', vibing instantly off the crowd and dashing back and forth to the decks for the occasional scratch. 'Watch You Move' has serious swagger while annoying megahit 'Supernova' takes on a soaring and jivesome new guise with his more modest set-up. Hudson's sometimes grating vocals are in tip top shape tonight, and the man is positively brimming with charisma as he thrusts the mic into the faces of nonchalant gadgety types and booms; "Drinks are free! Make some noise!"

But then, free bars are a dime a dozen in London (I'm told this while propping up aforementioned free bar). Truly triumphant performances by music's most famous protege, on the other hand, are that little bit more rare.