Reggae was born in Jamaica but became an international style, and Britain played an important role in its transformation. As singer Ken Boothe said: "England is the first place that embraced Jamaican music." In the process, Jamaican styles dramatically influenced the British music scene, and united many black and white musicians and fans at a time when the National Front was trying to achieve the opposite effect.
This rousing show reflected the variety and sophistication of the resulting music, with a reminder that many of the key performers from the 1970s and 80s remain in fine voice.
The format was that of a review, with an impressive 10-piece band, three singers and a string section providing the backing for 12 artists, who mostly performed three songs each. The mood, for the most part, was celebratory. There was little reflection of the militancy of the Rock Against Racism movement, and the anger of Linton Kwesi Johnson was sadly missed. But the punk-ska fusion of the 2-Tone bands was represented by a slick, attacking set from Pauline Black, who announced "multiculturalism rules", while Neville Staple from the Specials provided a stirring treatment of Ghost Town.
There were surprisingly few references to Rastafari, though the engaging DJ Big Youth tried to put that right with his poetic lyrics and wild dancing, frantically shaking his dreadlocks as he sang. Instead, the emphasis was on lovers rock, with fine performances from Carroll Thompson and Janet Kay, and Boothe providing the most memorable, soulful vocals of the evening. The show ended with Ali Campbell of UB40 singing their 1983 hit Red Red Wine before joining the full cast for Bob Marley's One Love. It had been an inspired tribute to a great era.
A Reggae Britannia documentary is on BBC4 at 9pm on Friday, followed by a broadcast of this concert.
