Island 50: Sly & Robbie, Grace Jones, Aswad @ Shepherds Bush Empire

Ok so Island isn't really the Island Records of old anymore, long since gobbled up by the corporate behemoth Universal, but 50 years is still 50 years. As such Chris Blackwell appointed the legendary rhythm section Sly & Robbie the task of assembling a Compass Point All Stars featuring Aswad, The I-Threes, Kid Creole, VV Brown, and Tichy Stryder.

A great lineup but on the night each and everyone of them was upstaged by a pair of 62 year old buttocks.

She may have only performed two tracks but Miss Grace Jones doesn't do subtle appearances, she specialises in stealing the show. From the second burly roadies appeared dragging a raised platform onto the stage the audience buzzed with the anticipation that Ms Jones was actually going to appear. She is quite literally above all other performers.

With a black recreation of the Lord's media centre on her head, black leotard, eye mask, and a short dress made out of children's sausage balloons she was as striking as ever. As she appeared the charming Londoner behind me exclaimed to his mate "Farking hell she's got her fanny out!" and promptly disappeared into the crowd for a closer look. For the record she didnt, unless you mean in the American sense of the word in which case, farking hell she got her fanny out!

New single "Love you to Life" stands up well to her old material but this was a chance to hear music from the golden 1980-82 period she spent with Sly & Robbie in the Bahamas creating Warm Leatherette, Nightclubbing and Living My Life.

One only has to think of Madonna straddling a succession of young men in recent music videos to know such overt sexuality in the over 50's doesn't always work but Jones is still at home with the filth of "Pull Up To The Bumper". Indeed she revels in it, turning away from the audience lifting her sausage balloon skirt, baring her buttocks and shaking them in our faces as beaming she sings "Pull up to my bumper baby... drive it in between". Yegads! As ever with Grace Jones though its style AND substance, and hearing Sly & Robbie recreating that groove, that bass, in person with Jones on top was simply magical.

Grace Jones Myspace Listen: Grace Jones - "Pull Up To The Bumper" (MP3)

Read: The ever engrossing Sleeveage unpick the classic cover art for Grace's Island Life (Check the blog anyway its fantastic).

The evening began with Kid Creole and his Coconuts bringing back the ensemble band style - half James Brown, half Cab Calloway - 100% fun. A fantastic horn section, dancers, backing singers and at the heart of it all Kid Creole in a purple zoot suit and straw hat.

The Kid is no musical novice, masterminding the disco anthem 'There But For The Grace Of God" in the mid 70's and forming Kid Creole & The Coconuts in 1980. Aside from Kid himself, Percussionist Bongo Eddie is the only original member, and mid way through he emerges from behind the bongo's rubbing his considerable belly as Creole hails his almost 30 year's of service. As for The Coconuts, Creole introduces them as "the children of the original Coconuts".

"This one goes out to all the illegitimate children in the house"

The ode to illegitimacy "Annie (I'm Not Your Daddy)" gets perhaps the biggest cheer of the set with its classic line "See if I was in your blood... you wouldn't be so ugly", but almost all shines from the keyboard riff of "I'm A Wonderful Thing (Baby)" to "Stool Pigeon".

Kid Creole plays up his role of male machismo flirting with his troupe of Coconuts but also delivering drops of social commentary into the comedic package. I like the story of the reviewer in the 80's who attacked Kid Creole as having "finally sunken to shallow depths of insipidness and plain silliness with lines like, "There's a smell of bird shit in the air..."'. The actual lyric of course is, "There's a smell of bloodshed in the air..."

Kid Creole & The Coconuts Myspace

Listen: Kid Creole & The Coconuts - "Annie I'm Not Your Daddy" (MP3) Buy: Kid Creole - The August Darnell Years @ Amazon

Sly & Robbie took to the stage for the main part of the evening with 30 minutes of bone shaking thudding reggae bass. Almost entirely instrumental, it was lapped up by a crowd with an even mix of old rasta's and young lovers of dub. I have to admit I didnt recognise many tracks (setlist anyone) but Dunbar's unmistakable "thack" drum crack almost perforated my ear drum while Shakespeare's rumbling bass may spark tsunami's but is spellbinding when boosted by classic reggae horns. Black Uhuru's "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner" received a welcome airing. Not a word was uttered by either Sly & Robbie unt