Some of the Syrians played here with that other band of Albarn’s when they headlined the same stage in 2010. Albarn himself followed, leading the musicians through a version of Blur’s Out of Time, before rappers Kano and Bashy came out for a brief stab at Gorillaz’s White Flag. Swooping strings on the track known as Mounir Song were heart-stopping, but the orchestra also proved adaptable, setting the scene for assorted guests: first the magnificently dressed Tunisian singer Mounir Trodi, then ngoni maestro Bassekou Kouyate and kora player Seckou Keita. The story of their appearance is itself extraordinary – the musicians scattered to the winds since 2011, now reassembled “Blues Brothers style” – and even though there were glitches on this occasion and the set threatened to overrun (no sprawling Africa Express show has ever finished promptly on time), they managed to see off more than just the threat of rain. At that point, it would have felt a bit embarrassing if what followed was more your standard festival fare – skinny indie boys with guitars or variants thereof – but instead came this 40-strong collective of Syrian musicians, assembled under the auspices of Albarn’s Africa Express project.
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