"He will take us by the hand, and lead us to the wonderland".

The lyric might refer to Richard Scott - the man who got the band signed to Island Records back in 1975, who was in the Brighton audience - but it isn't likely!

Reggae ambassadors, Third World, showed that 42 years of touring simply puts a band into the highest elite of performers.

With Stephen "Cat" Coore and Richard Daley still there from 1973, the surprisingly smallish crowd were served a meaty chunk of reggae fusion that took many back to 1977 and their 96 Degrees In The Shade album.

Coore played an awesome guitar intro to the title track from that as older classics such as Try Jah Love and Jah Glory kept the faces smiling.

Third World's vocal harmonies are their ID as much as that mix of R&B, soul and disco with Jamaican roots.

The latest single, Yim Mas Gan, was proof that the vitality is still burning.

The O'Jay's Now That We Found Love, a monster hit in 1978, finished the hour long set, with Coore this time featured on cello.

The Concorde 2 stages the biggest names in reggae and this was another fine evening with three excellent support bands.


Four stars