Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ

Gwen Stefani is a woman of incomparable style. It's a fact borne out by her choice of tour support, CSS. Walloping disco rhythms shake their rather delectable thang to grimy rock guitars as two musical tribes go to war and make one hell of a glorious bang. The ever adorable Lovefoxxx flails about the stage in an iridescent bodysuit, 'Off The Hook' finding her freaking like a fish out of water.

However, the bait that gets the audience to bite is 'Let's Make Love'. Its rollicking, Chic-style, bass and slinky keys are super-bug contagious, the song building furiously, the Brazilian disco-punk puppies chasing their tails as they make for the final note. And though the sound has been a little squally in places, for vim and vigour CSS are the top trumps.

Cops and robbers, Harajuku girls, break-dancing boys and one Hollaback hottie. Gwen Stefani's Odyssey performance is an absurdly entertaining extravaganza, a hallucination of acrobatic high jinks, outsized props and outrageous fun. It all starts with a golden-haired girl in a gilded cage, suddenly, to the refrain of 'The Sweet Escape', she breaks free. Yes, this is the night that metaphors become reality. 'Rich Girl' has la Gwen cavorting around a safe the size of a house whilst smelted gold bubbles and boils in the background.

Indeed, only during the ballads does the evening's tempo temporarily dip. The remainder is a non-stop thrill ride, the equivalent of a cinematic, all-action, blockbuster, you can see they've splashed the cash and the sequences are seamlessly put together, but it's best not to ponder too deeply. Instead you are advised to surrender yourself to the dazzle and the glossy drama. For the rendition of 'Cool', security clear a path to the back of the arena, our Orange County gal rushed through the throng, making sure that even in the cheap seats the audience have a richly rewarding evening.

And for an encore, the inescapable, 'What You Waiting For?' It's just a great song, different, but utterly accessible, the kind of song that renders terms like credibility and commerciality meaningless. But then that's Gwen Stefani, the girl who gives pop music a good name.

Francis Jones