You wouldn't want to mess with Kelis. When she stomped on to the scene in 1999 with Caught Out There, its "I Hate You So Much Right Now Aggggggh!" chorus became an anthem for scorned women the world over. Sporting full body tattoos and a Rainbow Brite afro, she struck the fear of God into love rats from Manhattan to Morecambe and, with a leg-up from the Neptunes, bucked urban music's trend for anaemic ballads and puny pop.
Five years, two more albums and some heavy-duty dentistry later, an altogether calmer Kelis (rhymes with police) has brought some ghetto style to the Edinburgh festival. And what style! Clad in denim leggings, a bat-winged fuchsia top and a Crunchie-coloured Princess Leia hairdo, she slinks on to the stage like a primped-up Pauline Calf, wiggling her bum to Ol' Dirty Bastard's paean to pimping, Got Your Money.
Despite opening with the most misogynistic track ever to make it on to the Radio 1 playlist, tonight is all about the ladies. "Any of my girls here bring their boyfriends?" calls Kelis, to a barrage of Nooos.
"Yeeeah!" she responds, launching into Keep It Down, a track that contains the illuminating lyric, "Soft porn doesn't do it for me / I don't like sex and drugs wit me."
If she doesn't like sex she's got a funny way of showing it. It's a bit like Christina Aguilera wearing a "What would Jesus do?" bangle.
Off she goes, dry-humping the mike stand during the laidback Get Along With You; there she is, writhing along to Millionaire. She gets so carried away during Milkshake (the obvious choice for an encore) that she even rips off her T-shirt to reveal a taut tummy and fluorescent bikini.
Despite these diverting visuals, her voice is a bit of a disappointment. The tiny venue is a cupboard compared to her usual haunts, yet her husky tones never quite win the battle with her backing band. Perhaps she's just too calm nowadays. Blame her boyfriend Nas. With a little less love and a bit more hate, Kelis might get her bite back.
·At the Academy, Bristol (0870 771 2000), tomorrow. Then touring.
