Live Review: Rita Ora, The Faders & DJ Georgia

Twenty-two year old British vocalist Rita Ora creates “pop” music in its truest and most literal form. Although occasionally splashed with elements of hip hop, dubstep and electronica, she is most in her element when performing overly manufactured danceable tracks, which unmistakeably seems to be her forte. Not to say that Ora is not a talented vocalist – her vocal stylings in the live performance, at times, showcased her range and versatility, however this was counteracted by her poor lyrical value and nauseatingly awkward stage presence.

Warming up the crowd was The Faders DJs and DJ Georgia, who kickstarted the evening by spinning a selection of top 40 bangers, including tracks by Taylor Swift and Kanye West, that hyped the crowd and provoked deafening group singalongs. As Rita Ora emerged and shimmied on a platform against her epilepsy-inducing, polychromatic, neon graphics, a vast crowd of juvenile girls yelled every word to Radioactive enthusiastically. It soon became increasingly clear that Ora's aesthetic is very confused and she borrows many of her stylistic elements from other pop stars in her field, particularly Rihanna and M.I.A. Performing a very drawn out, wearisome cover of Outkast's Hey Ya!, Ora eventually invited a coy and disinterested looking ten-year-old boy onto the stage to sit with her while she continued with the uninspiring, acoustic section of the show. Shortly following, Ora performed a medley of Notorious B.I.G. songs that, strangely, “inspired” her to be a musician, as the underage crowd amusingly imitated her 'hood' dance moves. This then faded into the chants of “party and bullshit” as the danceable vibes of How We Do (Party) kicked off and hordes of teenage girls bounced and waved their arms as they sat on each other's shoulders, continuing onto R.I.P., which also inspired the same level of enthusiasm. Though Ora has some potential to excel as a vocalist, her career will suffer until she can establish a true sense of 'self'.