I have to talk about the hair... While it seems silly to focus on tresses while reporting on a concert, in the case of La Roux, it would be a blunder to not mention it up front. La Roux actually means "the red head" in French and the flaming locks in question, coiffed like a ginger meringued pompadour, belong to Elly Jackson one half of U.K. electro-duo La Roux. Jackson's other half is Ben Langmaid, the band's co-writer and producer, but a silent partner, so to speak -- or not to speak in this case -- since he is never to be seen, and most assume it's a solo act. In the U.K., La Roux has three songs in the top-30, and their hit "Bulletproof" debuted at number 1. So while girls here are still wearing long blonde California extensions, Elly has sparked a trend in London where apparently they're flocking to the salon asking for "The La Roux." While she's not perched alongside Miley or Britney on our charts, she certainly has her Stateside fans, as evidenced by last night's sold-out show at the Highline Ballroom, and the roar of the crowd as she sauntered onstage singing the sexy stalkerlike track "Tigerlily."

With just a generic velvet pleated concert curtain behind her, she stood in the middle of the stage under a spotlight, emphasizing that it was up to her, and her alone, to carry the whole concert. This can be problematic for the vocal chords, which became apparent after the first song when she announced that she'd been sick and has canceled much of the tour. Sweetly apologetic, she asked the audience to help her out and fill in some spots when needed. It was no problem for the dancing, bopping crowd to sing along, and as she tried to catch her breath and put out the mic, the crowd proved its adoration and belted out every word. La Roux's is the type of music you secretly grab a hairbrush to and sing and dance to by yourself in the mirror. Following her plea for help, the audience seemed to become part of the show as we all took out our secret hairbrushes. We only rested our voices when she debuted their new unreleased track, "Finally My Saviour," which is as catchy the rest of them. Even though she had to cut her show short, no one left dissapointed -- for even when she was left gasping for breath, her sweet voice reached higher than her hairdo. America may never fully catch on... but the secret is already leaking out. Now if only she'd tell us how she gets her hair to stay that way...