North London trio N-Dubz are currently on their first UK tour - Love.Live.Life tour. But this isn’t any tour. This is Dappy, Tulisa & Fazer’s first ever arena tour. And on April 31, 2011, they made their stop in London at The O2 Arena. Courtney Buck went down to see how the show went down...

I arrived just in time to see Professor Green performing a selection of music from his catalogue, he really got the crowd warmed up  right in time for the main show. Performing with his live band he performed a number of hits including Jungle and Monster and had his lovely female vocalist absolutely lyrically smashing the top five track Just Be Good To Green.

Around 8.45 (and pretty much on time) the lights went down, and the screams went up. The sound was almost deafening. As the video introduction played, the screams went up for each individual member. It would seem Fazer is the most popular amongst the fans, judging by the response he got. Dressed in custom made Adidas biker outfits (with Dappy in his trademark beanie hat, shades and jewellery), and backed by a full live band, the trio breezed through a number of songs, new and old, including Never Ever and Playing With Fire, which featured not only an unexpected appearance from Mr. Hudson himself but real bursts of fire on the stage.

Following a quick costume and stage change, the band re-appeared in what appeared to be costumes inspired by the 1920’s “gangster” look. They performed hits such as I Swear and Girls with Dappy and Fazer even throwing in some choreography! Before heading into their cover of Jay Sean’s ‘Down’ mixed with the Black Eyed Peas’ Meet me Halfway, Dappy took a minute to talk to the crowd and announce that he was having some “throat issues” and hoped that he still sounded ok. The screams seemed to assure him that he was still doing well.

The female boss herself Tulisa, for me, was the highlight of the show. Her vocal abilities appear to have improved incredibly over the years, and her stage presence is remarkable. She really got a chance to shine when she was given a solo spot to sing Love Sick, along with her best friend, (singer Ny,) A decision, which she may regret, as at times she appeared to “out sing” Tulisa.

Another costume change followed. This time, we head to the future, with space-age futuristic costumes. Morning Star went down particularly well during this segment of the show, and was a personal highlight of the show.  The trio closed with latest single Cold Shoulder, before rushing off stage. For the encore, they returned to their roots, dressed in Adidas tracksuits. Fazer showcased his piano skills for Papa Can You Hear Me and Best Behaviour.

All in all, it was a great show and N-Dubz really held their own on such a large stage. But no one can say their success is undeserved. They write and produce their own material, always perform live and even invested £1m of their own money into the tour. As proclaimed by Tulisa during the show “Who would’ve thought 3 kids from Camden, North London could sell out the O2 Arena?” And the honest answer to that previously would have been no-one. But they’ve certainly done it, certified by 23,000 people shouting “Na Na Niiii!”

www.ndubz.com

WORDS: Courtney Buck