Having insisted on playing reggae in the office all day on Monday (which may have worn thin with some) I was in the zone when I set off to North Greenwich, though it did feel slightly incongruous arriving at the O2, to see the Wailers on a Monday night.

Of course the Wailers were Bob Marley’s band, and together they sold over 250 million albums. Totally unfathomable. This week’s lineup consisted of Aston ‘Family man’ Barrett on bass; the embodiment of cool, Keith Sterling on keyboard, Zeb ‘Drummy’ Williams, Duane ‘Danglin’ Anglin on lead vocals, Ceegee Victory on backing vocals and Audrey Chisholm on rhythm guitar.

The band kicked off with ‘Is this Love’, Duane blending Marley’s unmistakable words and spirit with a modern twist and his own vibrant style. He was wearing chinos and trainers while the gorgeous Ceegee danced next to him, in tight camouflage trousers and deep red lipstick.

Our allocated seats were upstairs but we quickly realised that it was all about being in amongst the crowds downstairs, where everyone was swaying and singing along to a mesmerising rendition of No Woman No Cry by the time we arrived.

Zeb, the enigmatic drummer, threw himself into each song as if possessed by the music, dancing, his arms and the drumsticks extensions of his body.

‘Everything’s Gonna Be Alright’ followed, and the slow, meditative beat combined with the elated faces of the band on stage, the simple uplifting message of the song and the whacking great sound system made it feel like true Monday night reggae therapy.

‘Buffalo Solider’ and then ‘Get Up Stand Up’ continued to build a lovely collective buzz. The crowd was amazingly eclectic, a true representation of everyone you could expect to see walking down a London street, demonstrating the magic of the lyrics and their continued ability to speak to us and to bring people together, albeit far from the context within which they were written. You just can’t help feeling a little bit warm and fuzzy when you’re dancing shoulder to shoulder with a bespectacled man who must be (warm and fuzzy) well into his 70’s, behind a row of snapbacks and just in front of a brilliant group of trannies, with a whole rainbow in between.

A touching, acoustic, ‘Redemption Song’ followed by a rousing ‘Exodus’ completed the set and left us all to grin and make friends with strangers for the entire tube ride home. Unless that was just me.

http://youtu.be/nRPxOfM4RtA