JESUS CHRIST

We don't know how this one passed us by, viewers. We just don't.

What it is is, is Franz Ferdinand and La Roux singing Blondie's "Call On Me" at the NME awards and it's FAIRLY AWFUL.

We like La Roux. We think she's a good thing. We know her voice is all a bit "oooh marmite" in that it's pretty much DIVIDING OPINION (like Moses and the Mer Rouge) but her new single (that one about killing people) and another one (about not being someone's dildo) are really REALLY very good pop songs indeed and we enjoy them many times a week.

The problem is, it seems, that La Roux is not just inexperienced in the art of gigging. She's also apparently completely inexperienced in the art of performance FULL STOP. Someone on the Popjustice forums said that her mum was on the Bill and her dad's an actor too (oh dear... now we know how she got on the blogz... NEPOTIZMZ!) so you'd think she might have some sort of stage presence or whatever, but apparently not.

She sort of comes on looking like an emo ginge boy and then completely fails to be interesting in any way. If Lady GaGa is setting the standard for modern pop performance (and believe us... she genuinely is) then La Roux needs to take not just a leaf, but an entire CALIFORNIAN REDWOOD out of her book.

The blank, moody stare and/slash/or blank face is a really hard thing to pull off because what it does, right, is COMPLETELY ALIENATE YOUR AUDIENCE... who, if you're making pop, as La Roux is, are usually there to DANCE and have a GOOD TIME and not be moody.

So note for future performances La Roux... a smile or a wink never goes amiss. We know you're probably nervous and new to this all and too cool to even THINK about a full-toothed grin, but puh-LEASE... even a knowing smirk would do.

Just SOMETHING to acknowledge that you are indeed performing, and not just nervously presenting something you've written but are too scared to play in assembly.

Cheers, love.