Rihanna duet with Jay-Z at London gig seals comeback

Rihanna pulled off a spectacular comeback at London's Brixton Academy last night in her first concert since she was assaulted by her fellow R'n'B singer, ex-boyfriend Chris Brown in February this year.

The 21-year-old used the show, a freebie for winners of a Nokia competition, to launch her new album, Rated R. At 45 minutes, her set was short - and there was no encore - but it was more than enough to wow the crowd.

Wearing high heels and a spangly leotard, Rihanna kicked off with two songs from her new album, Wait your Turn and Russian Roulette.

Strutting around a stage littered with mannequins and TV sets the troubled singer dramatically finished the latter number by pointing two fingers to her head and pretending to fire a gun.

The show, which included older material such as Don't Stop The Music and Disturbia, ended with an appearance by Jay-Z. The hip-hop star, who launched Rihanna's career when he signed her to Def Jam records, joined the Barbadian on stage to sing his own number Run This Town and her 2007 mega-hit Umbrella - as glitter rained down on to the stage.

Rihanna's performance was well-received by critics (see below) and will mean she finishes the year on a high after the turmoil of her well-publicised domestic abuse court case in which she was subpoenaed in June to testify against her ex-boyfriend Chris Brown. Brown pleaded guilty to assault and is currently on five years' probation.

Rihanna celebrated last night's successful comeback with a star-studded after party at Mayfair's Mahiki club, where she was joined by Jay-Z and Beyonce - fresh from her own concert at the O2 Arena in Greenwich.

WHAT THE CRITICS SAY:David Smyth, London Evening Standard: "There was nothing of the victim about the 21-year-old Barbadian last night as she dragged attention back towards her music with all the spectacle she could muster... From inside Brixton Academy Rihanna looked fully repaired, larger than life and ready to rule at next year's Grammys."

Talia, Londonist: "As the audience stuck up their umbrellas, it felt like we were witnessing the change from a very good pop star into a superstar. It might have taken something horrible happening, but Rihanna now knows exactly who she is. And we love her."

Tim Nixon, the Sun: "There aren't many crowds who hurl love at a singer rather than disgruntled jeers and bottles after a set spanning just 45 minutes... She did what all decent comeback artists do best and thrashed out an adrenaline-fuelled, hit-crammed medley that forced fans to forget all about the nightmare that was 2009." ·