***

Two very different performances made for contrasting halves.

Senegalese master musician Jali Fily Cissokho plays the 21-string West African kora/harp, and alongside guitarist Natureboy conjured up a magical first half.

A giant of a man, Cissokho had a smile on his face that shone in his vocal. Close your eyes and he might have been mistaken for fellow countryman Youssou N'Dour, it was that good.

The sound of kora and guitar was wickedly indulgent in rhythm, melody, harmony and joy. The pieces were long and simply beautiful, receiving a big response from the sparse crowd.

The band Dr Spira, from Serbia, followed with a stylised second half. Dr Spira go back to the early 1970s, reforming in 2007. This pared down reincarnation was a male and female vocalist singing over electronic backing tracks.

Behind them a screen showed videos whose relevance to the music was by no means obvious. At times Dusan Mihajlovic's gravelly, almost spoken vocal, suggested Tom Waits or Ian Dury, complete with moments of music hall theatricality.

However, following Cissokho was no easy task and the energy dipped. This show was part of the week-long Crossing Borders festival, which brought Brighton a diverse range of music in various styles from around the globe.