Santogold, Ting Tings wrap up joint tour in LA

Santogold and The Ting Tings concluded their co-headlining US tour with a sold-out show in Los Angeles last night (October 14), delivering inspiring sets despite severe technical difficulties that plagued The Ting Tings at the end of the night.

Joined by Mates Of State, Low Vs Diamond and Brooklyn singer Alice Smith, they attracted a diverse crowd for the marathon gig at the Wiltern Theatre.

Hometown darlings Low Vs Diamond drew a sizeable crowd despite being the early openers, and performed their arena-ready rock as if they were playing to a giant stadium. It was the band's biggest LA gig to date, and it went over well with the crowd, who cheered loudly and sang along to songs including 'Don't Forget Sister' and 'Killer B'.

Frontman Lucas Field told the audience he was honoured to play in the legendary LA venue that he'd driven by numerous times but had never entered.

Santogold kicked things into high gear with her exuberant 45-minute set. Joined by a DJ and two dancers wearing Wayfarers and gold lamé outfits, the singer got the entire crowd on its feet with crowd-pleasers 'L.E.S. Artistes' and 'You'll Find A Way'.

"Do you guys have any rhythm?" she asked, taunting the audience. "I need you to clap!" she commanded, and the crowd dutifully complied.

"How many Clash fans do we have?" she asked before launching 'Guns Of Brooklyn' - her variation on the legendary band's 'Guns Of Brixton'.

Santogold concluded her set by inviting a handful of audience members up onstage to dance with her during her final song, before being called back for an encore of 'Unstoppable', which resulted in a mass sing-a-long.

The Ting Tings closed out the night with an infectious set that ended in technical difficulties. The first few songs went off without a hitch, and the Manchester duo launched into a pumped-up version of 'We Walk', segueing into 'Great DJ'.

The crowd danced furiously and sang along to the words of nearly every song. Singer Katie White seemed awed by her band's growing Stateside popularity, remarking, "We played our first gig in Los Angeles about seven months ago at a tiny little venue above the Roxy, so thanks for coming."

--By our Los Angeles staff.
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