Rumba at Western Springs

By REBECCA BARRY AND HELENE RAVLICH

Headline act Pink was too husky to sing, and one of the dance DJs was held up in Nigeria, but if the 13,000-odd punters who flocked to Rumba were disappointed, they didn't show it.

The alcohol-free event, touted as the world's biggest pop music extravaganza, provided the mostly teenage crowd with a day's worth of top 40 artists live for the first time in New Zealand - pop's equivalent of the Big Day Out.

Rumba paid homage to the excruciating sunshine (cheese-cutters and visors were abundant) with opening act Hamilton reggae band Katchafire, whose fiery set was met with a duly warm welcome.

Following their summery Kiwi vibe was R&B-pop crew Nesian Mystik. Their impeccably tight musicianship counteracted the cannon effect caused by the sound bouncing noticeably off the hill opposite the stage.

That didn't deter Kiwi pop singer K'Lee, whose breathy performance was perfectly in tune but left her often unable to keep up with her adrenaline-charged troupe of denim-fitted rent-a-peeps.

Her braids stayed in remarkably well, however, as she dazzled the youngsters in the front row with her lightning-quick hand movements.

K'Lee was soon outdone though by ex-Bardot member/new gay icon/ singing budgie Sophie Monk, whose raunchy one-piece did more for the salivating crowd than her new single.

Still, one quick glance around and it was clear she'd captivated all but the caterers serving the VIP tent.

The next hour was a little ho-hum. Australian pop-rock band Taxi Ride, (think Savage Garden meets the Little River Band), IIO (turntable-bound white boy and his obligatory Latina singer) and local bands Zed and Stellar* all performed fairly predictable sets.

Things went a little left-field when new American R&B act Toya shook some rather non-existent booty, as the extremely svelte singer plucked her favourite "Li'l Mamas", and "Hot Fellas" from the seething masses. It wasn't until one of them threatened to upstage her that she began to sing.

By this stage the audience was high on pop, just as well considering next up was ex-boy band crooner ABS (who had somehow ripped off the Prodigy track Firestarter to set his scene).

Despite his constant pouting and sexy squinting, ABS made the fatal bachelor's mistake of donning a pair of orange pants big enough to have suffocated Toya had she tried them on. Oh, and he also accidentally called his album Absessive Behaviour. Youch.

Che Fu & the Krates were up next with a typically funky set, despite the absence of turntablist P-Money.

But things only got skipping again, literally, when soap star-cum-singer Natalie Imbruglia arrived to sing every one of her hits: Wrong Impression and Torn. There were other tunes but she was too busy skipping towards the left wing for us to notice.

The lighters came out for Bic Runga next, who played a serenely down-tempo acoustic set, her haunting vocals shimmering as much as her long gold skirt - the least pop moment of the day but a welcome breather.

She was supposed to have preceded punk chick Pink but instead of the party getting started, the Rumba hosts came on to deliver the news that Pink was suffering a bout of laryngitis and wouldn't perform. (There was no mention however of DJ Sammy's absence; apparently he was stuck in Africa with a dodgy passport.)

Finally, the famous Lothario with an Afro to rival Beyonce Knowles arrived to feed the lusty audience from his seductive paw.

Shaggy began his set with the usual Mr Lover-style platitudes and kept up the bump'n'grind through old favourites Oh Carolina, Mr Boombastic and Angel. We knew he was good because even we were dancing.