It was the kind of guest list that can keep a festival rattling along for a full day. That Damon Albarn and his friends managed to cram so many different genres into under two hours was little short of miraculous. If the evening was modelled on a Nigerian banquet, the result was the nearest thing imaginable to high-class fast food.

The performers - including the kora player Toumani Diabate and the Afrobeat drummer Tony Allen - had come together to honour one of Britain's sturdiest independent outlets, Honest Jon's. Not content with unearthing rare vinyl, the Portobello Road shop has made a detour into recording, issuing a series of new and vintage albums that have little in common, perhaps, except a desire not to plough well-worn furrows. It gives you some idea of the label's range that one of its latest releases is an evocative collection of Iraqi artists of the 1920s.

It is a tradition for gala concerts to get bogged down in lengthy pauses. Not this time. With the stage overflowing with contributors, the atmosphere resembled the opening sequence of Jools Holland's TV show, musicians briskly taking turns to regale the audience.

Albarn kept a low profile for the most part, occasionally pumping out notes on a harmonium and otherwise acting the part of unpaid roadie. It was a pity he did not choose to be more forthcoming, but with so little time to showcase so much talent, his reticence was understandable.

For anyone with a passing interest in R&B, Candi Staton's two solo spots were the highlight. Her intense vocals on Prisoner proved that she is still more than a match for today's more fashionable divas. Elsewhere, the guitarist Afel Bocum evoked shades of Ali Farka Touré, while the young members of the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble blended jazz riffs with a touch of hip-hop street cred. Victoria Williams's twee, folksy vocals might have seemed incongruous in this setting, but her rendition of Psalms, with her fellow singer Simone White adding harmonies, formed an oasis of calm in a very busy evening.

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