“Thanks to my drummer and guitarist in the pantomime horse.” It's not something you’d hear many acts say, but then again Santigold isn’t your average pop star.
Santi White emerged in 2008, then trading as Santogold, with a striking debut album. After a four-year break, in which she fiddled with her name and collaborated with artists like Amadou & Mariam – who played at the Orange Stage an hour before – and the Beastie Boys, the electro pop diva is back at Roskilde with a new album and attitude. “I remember playing here, it’s been a while,” she said to an adoring Arena crowd on the festival's final day.
Backed by two stone-faced female dancers and a three-piece band, Santigold rattled through an extensive set that went through a lot of her singles from both albums.
Santigold looked absolutely stunning, with neo-African prints dominating three costume changes. The three guys in the band looked like a cross between chickens and safari hunters. During ‘Hold the Line’, the dancers whipped off their tops to reveal black and white equestrian outfits, and swirled their ropes provocatively in the company of a pantomime horse. “I don't want to ruin the moment, but it’s just two of my band members in there,” Santigold said.
The night’s best moment was during ‘Creator’, when she invited her fans to dance with her on stage. “We need a few really good dancers on here,” she yelled. A few turned out to be a few dozen and she couldn’t prevent the approaching fans from trying to touch and hug her. As soon as the first notes of the old favourite hit, we got to see some embarrassingly hilarious white boy moves and girls getting down low.
Costume changes, fancy choreography and a great performance – it was clear that everyone on stage worked very hard to make this a show to remember, and they certainly succeeded. And while many left the show too drunk to remember a single thing from this show, they probably found themselves the next day singing the chorus of one of Santigold’s many catchy songs.
