The British pop singer's chilly YouTube allure fails to translate in a show that's long on techno trappings but short on charisma. 

The hooded gold-lamé riding cape seemed like a good sign Wednesday night at the El Rey Theatre, where the English pop singer Little Boots played a sold-out show in support of her debut album, "Hands."

Known to her parents and to the accounting staff at Elektra Records as Victoria Hesketh, Little Boots makes shiny, buzzing dance music that foregrounds her fascination with technology, and her El Rey concert actualized those gear-head tendencies.

In addition to playing keyboard, she at various points strapped on a keytar, plucked out notes on a laser harp and constructed loops on a Tenori-On, a futuristic Japanese gizmo that resembles a kind of musical Lite-Brite.

Yet Little Boots also appeared determined to demonstrate she's not just a technician. Not long after arriving onstage in the riding cape, she removed it to reveal a more form-fitting outfit, one better suited to prancing about while she sang "New in Town," a catchy "Hands" highlight in which she promises to "show you a real good time." Later in her hourlong set, she changed into a sparkly black muumuu (or the top half of it anyway) and pumped her fist as she rode the pneumatic disco beat of "Stuck on Repeat."

As fetching as those costumes were -- and despite a grade-A laser show -- Little Boots didn't really succeed in proving her pop-star mettle. The problem wasn't her material: Funny and sexy in equal measure, "Hands" is packed with small-wonder delights; it's the kind of pop record that sounds as good through headphones as it does on a car stereo. And Little Boots' three backing musicians did solid work at the El Rey, adding live-band muscle to the sleek electronic grooves.

In the video for Little Boots' "Remedy," the artist, known in real-life as Victoria Hesketh, comes off as somewhat of an amateur Lady Gaga, sporting what looks to be triangular glass in her dyed Princess Leia-like hair. The British artist has played the role of a pop star before, rising to Internet fame by covering hit songs using a Japanese light-up gadget as the primary instrument. 

There's no such fooling around on "Remedy," where Hesketh borrows Lady Gaga's producer in RedOne. Spooked electronics give way to a giant chorus, and Hesketh toys with a stalking "predator" by showing off her moves on the dance floor. She doesn't have much money, she tells us over cosmopolitan stop-and-start keyboards on "New in Town," but she knows how to have a good time.  

Just now being released in the U.S., "Hands" was issued last summer in Britain, and "Stuck on Repeat," a slick little Euro-dance number, dates to 2008. No matter, the vintage futurism that drapes Hesketh's songs has stayed in vogue, and there's fun to be had here. "Earthquake" is packed with sharp, popping disco effects, and Hesketh, all upper-register sweetness, gets a baroque, carnival-like backdrop on "Ghosts."

Yet "Symmetry," a duet with the Human League's Philip Oakey, is more '80s parody than homage, and the inclusion of a bare-boned hidden track hints at what could have been. Paired down to a piano, Hesketh spins a tale about a quest to use technology to cure a broken heart. It's a clever little romance and evidence of a more unique personality that's yet to break out of Hesketh's digital creations. 

--Todd Martens

Little Boots
"Hands"
Elektra Entertainment
Two and a half stars (Out of four)

With the cacophony of central London roaring behind her, Victoria Hesketh -- the burgeoning 25-year-old electro-pop sensation known as Little Boots -- is insisting she’s more than just another blog-driven flash in the pan.

“My new songs are even more commercial,” she says of her forthcoming debut album, which does not yet have a release date. Of course, her previous material isn't exactly old.

Hesketh rode to Internet prominence late last year with “Stuck on Repeat,” a throbbing dance-floor anthem that alternates massive synth melodies with ominous sleigh bells. Through it all, Hesketh’s clear, higher-register bell-like voice stands front and center.

And yet, she says "Stuck on Repeat" isn't an indication of where she's heading.

“My music is brighter and more colorful than that," she says via cellphone. "To me, ‘Stuck on Repeat’ is kind of disco-y and dark. The other songs are more varied. There are slow songs, some weird ones, it’s a real mix. I really hate two-dimensional albums ... I want to be more like early Madonna albums, where she would do all sorts of different things, but her voice is what tied it all together.”