Breathing fresh air into the Academy 2, Sawhney is in his element on stage, with his army of instrumentalists in tow. He doesn’t say much and he really doesn’t need to. Leading the band from behind his piano or guitar, he lets each unique singer take the spotlight in turn. The first song fails to get the crowd going and it isn’t until the funky Flipside, sung by Sharon Duncan, that we start to groove along. Duncan’s voice sits perfectly on top of the other instruments and glides effortlessly through the notes. Homelands and Immigrant are particular crowd pleasers and smooth vocalist Taio mesmerises us with the simple Throw It All Away and the catchy Rainfall. But it’s the vocal track Conference that takes the crowd’s breath away, with three voices engaged in a kind of high-speed rhythmic conversation. Vocalist Davinda Singh does things with his voice that leave us all speechless. And usually when a gig is this good, you are justified in having high expectations for the encore. But the song Prophecy is a bad choice, far outstaying its welcome, and actually forcing people to leave before the end. But despite the difficult first and last songs, you have to appreciate the multi-genre talents of Sawhney and his band. The term ‘world music’ has negative connotations for some, but Sawhney has mastered how to make what he does accessible and easy to enjoy without diluting his many influences. | 
