We've been to four really good concerts over the last two weeks.

First up was James Taylor. With just a keyboards player for backing he played all the old favourites and still sounds great. His introductions between the songs are also an important part of the act and he has an engaging and amusing personality. The drum machine which features on a couple of songs has to be seen to be believed.

Next were The Waterboys. Right now I'm probably as happy to go and see them as any band on the planet and they didn't disappoint. Their back line has changed since last summer, perhaps a bit less funky but still sold. They played a lot of new material from the new CD Book of Lightning. I hadn't heard this before the gig, but it sounds really strong.

Moving along, we had the Australian Pink Floyd. This was enjoyable, although something about the concert gave it the feel of a classical concert rather than rock concert. I think it's the fact of having top-notch musicians playing someone else's material, so perhaps a sense of ownership is lacking. I wonder if bands like this will still be playing this material long after the others have gone to join Syd for The Great Gig In The Sky?

The comparison with Tinariwen the following night couldn't be more marked. Their music combines the chants and the rhythms of Touareg desert tribesmen with crunchy electric guitars. So not only their own music, they have invented their own genre. There are as many rough edges as the Aussie Floyd were polished, but somehow the net effect was mesmerising. Each song starts up sounding a bit like the last one, but it picks you up in its arms and carries you away as it chugs along. Quite extraordinary.