Staff Benda Bilili [Democratic Republic of Congo]
So, a bunch of homeless polio-sufferers from the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo have been given some instruments and offered a headline slot at a world music festival?
Surely this is a tokenistic gesture to make do-gooder Womad crowds feel good about themselves? Well, after Friday-night’s gig the crowds certainly would have been feeling good, because Staff Benda Bilili had just injected everyone with an incredible surge of Congolese rumba at its very finest.
The boundless energy coarsing through the veins of these guys is just amazing, and will rub off on you too. Their colourful music is matched by their outfits, which include military garb layered with gold chains.
And yes, even in wheelchairs, African men dance better than white guys.