Seckou Keita Quintet, St Georges, 4th October

I think it might have been Jean-Paul Sartre who once reflected that 3 o'clock in the afternoon is always either too early or too late for doing anything. He was obviously not a football fan or, indeed, a follower of that fine international band of musicians, the Seckou Keita Quintet, who played a three-quarters full St Georges Hall this afternoon. What a great gig! Despite my ongoing slight problem with Samy Bishai's fiddle-playing (although it seems to work OK on CD, I never quite warm to it 'live'), the band were superb. Seckou is such a fine Kora player, and a beautifully dreamy solo in the second half of the concert was a highlight, but I also loved Binta Suso's searing, if a little uncontrolled, vocals. Some great drumming from Surahata Susso helped drive things along, but another revelation was the bass-playing of Davide Mantovani - lyrical when it needed to be and punchy at all other times.

The music was always interestingly layered, varied in tempo, fascinatingly syncopated. The audience were on their feet by the second half, with a couple of energetic male dancers on stage galvanising the crowd. The only thing I missed was Seckou's tama-playing, a highlight when I saw him a few years ago. Never mind, this was a great afternoon's entertainment - even better than the footy!