A SUBLIME piece of African culture stormed the Barbican last night - thanks to the powerful singing and energetic dancing of the choir known as Ladysmith Black Mambazo.

The ten men, led by Joseph Shabalala, captivated the capacity audience with their stirring bass, alto and tenor harmonies.

They produced a rich, earthy sound that spoke of oppression and freedom.

Their song celebrating South Africa's "long walk to freedom" to embrace democracy, led by Nelson Mandela, reminded us that Ladysmith Black Mambazo's traditional music - called isicathamiya (Is-Cot-A-Me-Ya) was born in the mines that generated the wealth to finance the apartheid regime.

For six days, the miners would labour and on the seventh they would become "tip toe guys" by singing songs into the wee hours of Sunday morning.

Paul Simon's seminal Graceland album introduced Ladysmith Black Mambazo's sound to a global audience in the mid-1980s and, buoyed up by this success, the choir is still going strong.

Last night's performance of the Graceland track Homeless was simply beautiful - a cappella singing at its finest.

And the choir's repertoire was spiced up by comedy, usually inspired by the timeless battle of the sexes. One song was about "things being turned upside down by talkative women".

Those sitting on the front row felt the full force of the choir's energy - a special exuberance enhanced by eye contact.

The concert received feminine charms from the Women Of Mambazo; a choir founded by Joseph's wife, Nellie Shabalala, featuring six female singers and a four-strong male bass section. It would have been good to hear both choirs sing together, but it was not to be. Instead the gifted couple, speaking from the stage after the encore, urged York to live in "peace, love and harmony".

Updated: 11:02 Saturday, October 27, 2001