Concert Reviews

Mika would make a Muppet proud

Watching Mika perform live, one may get the impression that someone is raucously pulling strings behind the scenes. Mika’s spindly arms flailed in the air, moments before his hands quickly came together for some rapid-fire soul claps. His brown mop top constantly shook, and his thin-as-birch legs swayed behind his keyboard, leading the audience into playful chorus — sometimes one about lollipops.

But make no mistake, Mika is not channeling a Muppet. Although Wednesday night’s sorta-secret show at the Roxy featured the Beruit-born, London-bred popster in a stripped-down acoustic set, Mika’s brand of candy-coated, piano pop is serious business. His 2007 debut album, “Life in Cartoon Motion,” is said to have sold more than 5 million copies worldwide, earning him accolades ranging from Grammy nods to BRIT awards.

The intimate performance at the Roxy marked a back-to-basics setup for the 25-year-old. Just two acoustic guitarists and a drummer accompanied Mika as he helmed the keys. His soaring and stutter-stepping falsetto is the stuff of camp sing-a-longs, and his catchy hooks are like jazzy 1950s detergent jingles.

The audience bought what Mika was selling. Nearly every word and “tra-la-la” wafting from the classically trained vocalist sailed back at him from the singing crowd. His unequivocally unobjectionable hits such as “Grace Kelly” and “Lollipop” channeled the piano-glam of Elton John, Scissor Sisters and Freddie Mercury.

One audience member particularly enjoyed the show: Perez Hilton. The gossip blog titan organized the free gig and announced it the day before. “I wanted this to be a special event for fans,” Hilton said, “and some of the stuff he played is new material.”

The Hilton-sanctioned show preceded the release of Mika’s acoustic EP, which he has been recording in Los Angeles. Mika’s solo piano pieces even moved burlesque goddess and Hilton cohort Dita Von Teese, who broke from her stony-faced shtick to rhythmically nod her head. After all, Mika’s boyish stage presence and bouncing numbers break down the accouterments of the irony age, and resurrect that hidden joy of exuberant, Muppet love.

Text and photo by Drew Tewksbury

Reposted from LA Times Blog, Pop & Hiss

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© 2009 Drew Tewksbury: Multimedia Journalist.