It was a hot night in London, and Morcheeba played their first gig for 18 months. It has been a long wait since their last album Big Calm, and the news of their next album, Fragments Of Freedom has cheered the fans around the country.

Morcheeba never disappoint. Skye walked on to the stage to a warm response and the band kicked into Friction. The sound was perfect, and Skye's voice melted over the music like a bar of Cadbury's Dairy Milk. We got helpings of the dreamy World Looking In and Love Is Rare from the new album and the old fave, Part Of The Process. Morcheeba's live sound is really something to hear, from the old-Morcheeba's slidy guitar to the new-Morcheeba's 70's Stax (Blues Brothers) stylee soul-funk. One track even had a chunk of old Santana guitar thrown in. Much of their new stuff would benefit from a Commitments type line up with a horn section; it just makes you want to get down and shimmy!

The encore consisted of The Sea, the new Good Girl Down, the next single Rome Wasn't Built In A Day, a surprisingly happy track for Morcheeba as Skye pointed out… The evocative visuals around the stage really added to that Tales of the Unexpected feel… and they rounded off with a jam sesh version of Donovan's Season Of The Witch - a definite wild card for Morcheeba, but worth the extravaganza!

They're playing the Jazzworld stage at Glasto this weekend, so get your glitter platforms on and boogie; the old armchair Morcheeba are as welcome as ever, but you'll find me down the back twirling silhouette-style to the funk. Maaan.

Check out Morcheeba at Glastonbury, T in the Park and v2000.

Their new album 'Fragments Of Freedom' is released in July.