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It is easy to dislike N-Dubz at first, their rudimentary beats sound like rejects from Snoop Dogg’s turgid No Limit era.
The hell and damnation flame projections for their opening songs look like they were taken from fireplacewarehouse.co.uk and the wheel trims next to their logo, stolen on the way to the gig.
But you cannot question that N-Dubz bring joy to their audience, are highly accessible and posess a power and talent to control a crowd.
The band boast street credibility and musical prowess with Fazer taking to the keys throughout the set and Dappy has musical pedigree (his dad was in Mungo Jerry).
The majority of the fans rocking out the O2 Academy are girls, who no doubt wonder what’s under Dappy’s dark hat and glasses but also want to be Tulisa’s best friend.
Tulisa is more cutesy than slutty on-stage as she appears to be in the videos, knowing how to connect with her female fans.
The self-proclaimed Female Boss told the jubilant crowd that half her family are Bristolians and even played a home movie clip of her performing in a school play aged 11.
N-Dubz’s show includes great theatrical elements and sets up various scenes to play off against each other, including a gangster cabaret club and a spaceship.
The trio performed storming covers of Black Eyed Peas Meet Me Halfway and J-Sean Down but really whipped the crowd into a frenzy with their smash hits Love Live Life and Best Behaviour.
At one point the N-Dubz lads leapt from the stage into the front row and the burly security guards had to step up and wrap their arms around pint-sized Dappy to make sure he wasn’t pulled in and swallowed by the crowd.
This show kicked off a string of last-minute added dates ahead of some larger arena shows and certainly proves they will be able to rock larger arenas. Or as Tulisa says “AREENAAHs.”
Everybody left the concert happy and they even won some new fans in the O2 Academy staff, including one barman who was as proud as punch that he’d ‘shared a ciggie with Dappy’ by their tourbus.