Lake of Stars @ The Art School, Glasgow, 11 Mar

Lake of Stars hits Glasgow today as part of a two-date UK tour to promote the annual Malawi Arts Festival, bringing with it a range of musical acts from Scotland and Africa. Taking over The Art School for the whole day – with a free daytime market, live musical performances, an evening showcase then an after-party hosted by Auntie Flo – the atmosphere is unlike many other musical events in the UK.

The evening’s showcase is MC’ed by Glasgow-based, Ghanaian rapper Kobi Onyame following his performance at the daytime event, introducing each act with a bit of background information before they go on. Kicking things off is Zambian singer Wezi, accompanied only by an acoustic guitarist and some crafty makeshift percussion using the beaded sleeves on her dress. Although the crowd is still fairly small at this point, she encourages everyone to move in closer and sing along with her, in an attempt to make this a less British and more African affair.

Next up is Malawian six-piece Zathu, who bring the mood up with their youthful energy and glorious harmonies, despite some sound glitches. Faith Mussa, one of Malawi’s most famous musicians, lends a hand on guitar throughout their set, before performing solo afterwards. Mussa’s one man band act is impressive and anyone who thinks Ed Sheeran can do some good loops should see Mussa show how it’s really done.

The highlight of the evening comes from Ghanaian rapper M.anifest, offering a masterclass in live performance, along with his incredibly enthusiastic live band. M.anifest takes the opportunity to collaborate with some of the other artists on the bill, bringing out Onyame to join him on W’ani Aba, and then inviting up Wezi for the following track.

Scott Hutchison of Frightened Rabbit closes the show with a solo acoustic set, announcing as he takes the stage that “this is easily the most miserable part of the evening.” Along with Neu! Reekie!’s Michael Pedersen, the pair provide a back and forth of music and poetry before Hutchison closes the show with some Frabbit favourites, including Snake and The Woodpile. He’s not wrong about it being more downbeat musically than the rest of the show, but Hutchison and Pederson do provide the most laughs of the evening through their on-stage banter.

Lake of Stars is a truly unique and uplifting event, and the atmosphere throughout the day is undeniable. But with so many acts on the evening line-up, the show generally feels quite scrappy and rushed, despite some solid performances from the night’s acts.