You couldn’t have shoehorned another single person into this show! An eager and expectant SRO crowd awaited Mr. Andy but we were entertained first of all by the young local singer/guitarist Mark Miani, whose vocal style is very markedly Bob Marley influenced and who impressed with a set ranging from one-drops to (almost) dancehall. Full marks too to his backing band, particularly the two male backing singers (one of whom was called Tyler – apologies to everyone else!).

Following on from this very welcome surprise, the ever-popular Freedom Masses sound system – ‘Manchester’s original dub advertiser’ – ensured that the vibes remained hot and positive until MC Mega Dread announced “Show time!” The band was announced as ‘Rasta Pickney’ and consisted of Caroline ‘Rhythm Queen’ Williams on keyboards and backing vocals, top UK reggae bassist Diane White, guitarist Stanley Andrews and drummer Anthony Ward who sang (very convincingly) a timely plea for world peace.

Then, to a huge roar, Horace Andy came onto the stage. These days he seems to have settled on an approach akin to that of his Everton DaSilva produced album of the late seventies, ‘In The Light’. It is a wise and popular choice, as the sound is tough and driving and with rock styled introductions, whilst remaining pure reggae – the album was also one of the biggest and earliest successes for the Blood & Fire label; but above all the songs themselves are monsters! Horace closed the set with a magnificent rendition of the title track, but that is to leap ahead a little. Horace is the only person who can appeal authoritatively to aficionados of the dance act Massive Attack with ‘Hymn Of The Big Wheel’ (complete hysteria breaks out among the massive!) and then equally credibly to the Studio One devotees – ‘Skylarking’, ‘Every Tongue Shall Tell’ and many others (see earlier comment about complete hysteria!). Along the way too are such dread delights as ‘Money Is The Root Of All Evil’, ‘Problems’, ‘Elementary’ (Horace cut this in a very early digital style with Rhythm Queen back in the mid-eighties), ‘Fever’ and ‘Do You Love My Music’, with the band red-hot and Horace’s high, brittle but powerful singing right out front - and at the age of 53 he remains a dynamic and energetic performer, skanking away enthusiastically whilst the band laid down some heavyweight dub-style passages.

Apologies to those who may want to know everything that Horace sang - there was no time or room to take notes, and besides, we were all having too much fun. Nights like this come around all too rarely!