With a near full house, the old building was bouncing as never before as the engaging and hugely likeable Albert and the band not only lived up to their billing as an explosive, dynamic and visually stunning show, but exceeded it by a country mile.

Albert is Zimbabwe's only performing dub poet and the voice of the people and his words, delivered in a highly demonstrable way carried a clear message of the suffering of his country.

It was summed up in the saying 'When two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers the most' - the grass being the ordinary people.
Colourful, brash and noisy (though far from uncomfortably loud) this was a friendly clash of cultures which the African beat won hands down.

Township jive band Imbongi's fusion of blues, jazz and contemporary pop with its simple, pistoning rhythms was perhaps new to many in the audience but they lapped it up. It was happy music, a universal sound that appealed to young and old alike, an infectious beat that got under the skin demanding hands to clap, limbs to move and the soul to dance.
The musicianship of guitarists David Dimingo, Peter Manzenza and drummer Adam Muchenje, plus their guest, superb South African acoustic guitarist Maghinga Radembe of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, was unquestionable, a supremely talented group.

The message of the songs, sung in their native language, may not always have been a happy one, but always performed in a happy way by Albert, lead singer Ramsey Kasawaya and two young ladies, Siphatiswe Moyo and Caroline Nyathi, who delighted with their powerful voices and excited with their dancing, which exuded enough energy to power the National Grid. However, when the mood was quiet, there were some fine harmonies to savour.

The poems, while often telling of suffering, also included charming tales such as My Daughter, Albert's expression of a father's desire to protect his child, and This England, a neatly observed comparison of his culture to the British way of life, a humorous theme he allowed to run throughout the performance.

'So this is summer in England' he questioned with a grimace.

It may have been raining and cold outside, but in the Guildhall Theatre there was a bright, warm ray of sunshine.

What a show! What a night!