Mika kicks off iTunes Festival

The iTunes Festival kicked off at London’s ICA last night (July 1) with a performance from Mika.

The event sees a month of gigs at the venue on The Mall, with different bands playing to an audience of 350 each night.

Supported by Leon Jean Marie, Mika kicked off the month of gigs with an energetic set that included the likes of 'Grace Kelly' and 'Big Girl'.

"When we were first on iTunes a friend called me to say we had a 2.5 rating,” Mika told the crowd of his relationship with fans using the download shop.

“I checked it out and saw we only got five stars or one star, so I phoned my manager and said 'It's going to be OK - they either love us or hate us'."

Mika played:

’'Relax'
'Big Girl'
'My Interpretation'
'Billy Brown'
'Any Other World'
'Stuck In The Middle'
'Ring Ring'
'Sweet Dreams'
'Love Today'
'Grace Kelly'
'Lollipop'

The festival now continues with the likes of Paul McCartney, Kasabian and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club among those playing intimate shows across July. See NME.COM for full live reports.

The bands’ sets are being recorded and will be released as a live album via iTunes in the future. For more information go to iTunesfestival.com.