The mission statement of Les Amazones d’Afrique is clear: empowering women and girls across Africa and beyond, and as Awa Sangho told the Brighton crowd, putting some much needed love out into the world.

For this show, three of the 12 or so members of the West African collective took to the stage, Malian musicians Awa Sangho, Mamani Keita, and Rokia Koné. Their passion for this project was evident throughout, and the on-stage chemistry was warm and infectious.

The three voices were distinct and yet all incredibly powerful, as they sang of female emancipation, and struggle in the face of adversity, ably supported by a three-piece band which really came into its own during the funk and blues numbers.

Les Amazones took the audience on a journey into a tantalising sound world, but things never really took off until the end, when it all erupted for the encore. The final 15 minutes of the show were a taste of what it could have been; the room filled with energy, crowd on their feet, musicians in their groove, and Les Amazones working the stage masterfully.

It’s a shame however that this upsurge in energy was reserved for the encore though it was always going to be difficult for the three to create an exuberant atmosphere with a large but seated crowd.

Perhaps it might also have been more fitting to see female rather than male instrumentalists joining Les Amazones D’Afrique on stage given the raison d'être of the project.