One of the hottest bands to break from the West African musical hotspot of Senegal, Taara offered an eclectic lunchtime audience a taste of modern Afropop, inspired by traditional Senegalese music.

The band's Dakar-born, London-based band leader, Seyni Diop, did his best to create a party vibe, introducing each irresistibly hummable song with energy and humour.

Taara's vibrant rhythms and soaring vocals, which sang of love, relationships and family loyalties, quickly raised the temperature of the Pavilion Theatre.

But the quartet of musicians comprising Seyni Diop (bass/ vocals), Mansour Ndiaye (vocals), Bamba Mboup (djembe) and Madou Ndiaye (drum kit) stopped short of producing a full-on Afropop party.

One reason for this was the absence of some key band members - notably the much-anticipated rapper Jules Diop and Guinean vocalist N'deye Sompare, who would have brought a welcome female touch to the mix.

But the biggest problem was this was dance music performed in a seated venue.

Seyni did his valiant best to encourage the audience to clap and sing along but ultimately, the only thing that would have given the band the energy they deserved - and the audience the experience that was their due - would have been to provide a space for people to get up and dance.