Rihanna Live in London: Oh what a night!

Crikey, anyone got a fag? Last night's Rihanna gig at the Brixton Academy was almost orgasmic. It was just an eight-song jobby to launch her new album (and a new Nokia mobile), but it had everything: a futuristic/post-apocalyptic set featuring silver mannequins and piled-high TV sets, plenty of terrific tunes, a not-so-surprise cameo from Jay-Z, a genuine sense of occasion and, at its core, an awesome performance from Ri-Ri.

She sang three tracks from Rated R - the dubsteppy Chase & Status hook-up 'Wait Your Turn', the haunting lead single 'Russian Roulette' and the aptly-titled 'Hard' - but she was more than generous with The Hits. 'Don't Stop The Music', 'Take A Bow' and 'Disturbia' were all given menacing electro-rock-R&B makeovers, while Jay-Z himself turned up for 'Run This Town' and a jubilant rendition of 'Umbrella' that climaxed in a tickertape shower.

What was noticeable was how confident Rihanna was. She looked and sounded fantastic - during 'Take A Bow', it was hard to tell which was mightier, her voice or her thighs - and she owned the stage even when Jigga was in full flow. There was headbanging, there was mannequin-groping, there was a lot of vamping over slashed guitar chords. She ended by striking a superstar pose against a giant video screen - which pretty much summed up thisperformance, to be honest.

> Click here for a gallery of pictures from the gig

Did you see Rihanna's Brixton gig - either in person or online? What did you think? Use the space below to leave your comments.