THE Hot 8 Brass Band brought a flavour of Bourbon Street with a twist to Charlton Park on Friday night and Womad was in a mood to ‘paaarty’.

From the opening bars of Stevie Wonder’s 'Sir Duke', the heavyweight New Orleans outfit’s unique mix of hip hop and brass had the audience rapt – and the adulation had little to do with the bling they showered the crowd with later in the set.

It’s a joyous and infectious melting pot and their version of Marvin Gaye’s 'Sexual Healing' is about as far removed from the Floral Dance as you could imagine.

Does anyone give sousaphone lessons in Wiltshire?

Headliner John Grant showcased the purest voice in pop since Karen Carpenter – I’d love to hear him cover 'Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft' – as well as his X-rated wit.

The ‘signing’ lady on the side of the stage not only had to get to grips with Grant’s signature ‘GMF’ but also his impromptu version of the limerick ‘There once was a man from Nantucket’ during a brief keyboards malfunction.

Womad punters were given an added treat by the less-hirsute-than-normal Grant – a rare live version of the majestic 'Where Dreams Go To Die' before his voice soared to the main set closer ‘Disappointing’ which was anything but.

Grant’s journey has been an eventful one from Colorado to Reykjavik, embracing electronica along the way; Ibrahim Maalouf’s has taken the more familiar path from the Lebanon to Paris.

Trumpeter Maalouf is a generous bandleader and gave the marvellous instrumentalists working with him (including a bagpipe player) plenty of time in the spotlight.

His set in the Siam Tent was a slow burner but long before the end his rousing jazz-rock soundscapes were getting an ecstatic and deserved response.

While we travel to Womad to see the stars of world music, there’s home grown talent too and the chilled grooves of British band Native Dancer behind the voice Frida Touray were definitely worth investigating.