NO MATTER where you sat in Wembley Arena on Monday night you were never far from open-mouthed men trying not to drool at this year’s sexiest pop sensation. At her debut UK gig, Shakira Isabel Mebarak — the 25-year-old Colombian singer who has taken the world by storm with her first English-language album, Laundry Service — more than lived up to her Latin Britney reputation. In fact, she was Britney, Christina, Sheryl and Shania all rolled into one, with a bit of Bon Jovi thrown in for good measure.

Shakira made a memorable entrance when red and gold curtains opened to reveal a giant, silver cobra curled up on the stage. As two guitarists played heavy rock riffs and flames shot from the floor, the cobra lifted its head 20ft in the air and out jumped a barefoot Shakira in skin-tight black leather trousers and a black bra. She bellydanced her way through the opening song, Ojos Así, swinging her hips like Elvis and throwing her platinum-blonde hair about. No one cared that it was the sort of song they play at discos in tacky Spanish resorts. The men were too busy trying to keep calm and the women too busy going green with envy.

After another Spanish rocker, Si Te Vas, Shakira proved that she is more than a pop puppet by strapping on a silver guitar for the mid-tempo Fool. Suddenly she was Sheryl Crow with an odd accent. She discarded the guitar for the salsa-flavoured Ciego Sordomuda, then turned into a wailing Mariah Carey for her single The One.

Best known in Britain for her million-selling Whenever, Wherever — at Wembley a dazzling end to her act — Shakira may be thought of as a pop act, but what she most likes to do is rock out. Having changed into tight tartan trousers and a matching cap, she threw herself into bizarre covers of Aerosmith’s Dude (Looks Like a Lady) and AC/DC’s Back in Black, surely the first time that song has been performed with the singer pole-dancing. To add street cred, she was surrounded by a band of rock musicians in torn jeans and T-shirts and even indulged in a bit of headbanging.

Throughout the 90-minute set, a giant video screen showed images depicting Elvis being revived by doctors and Saddam Hussein and President Bush playing chess. There was no need for such heavy-handed stunts. Shakira’s singing, dancing and stints on drums, harmonica and guitar were impressive enough.

This review appeared in late editions of The Times yesterday