Thomas Mapfumo is one of the great names of African music, and he is well aware of his own importance. "Most of these are revolutionary songs. Songs that helped to liberate Zimbabwe", he announced, in one of his few comments of the night. He was right, of course, but such a reminder of past glories and political influence merely pointed up the curiosity of his current position.

Mapfumo now lives in the US, though he regularly visits Zimbabwe and has spoken out against the Mugabe government both in interviews and (often more obliquely) in his recent songs. But there was no comment about the current situation in Zimbabwe here.

This was the biggest event yet in the current London African Music festival, and it started well with a charming, rhythmic set from the Congolese drummer Koko Kayinda and his band of guitarists and gangling male singers. Much of the audience were down by the stage and dancing by the time he had finished, and the party mood continued with the arrival of Mapfumo's band, Blacks Unlimited. As ever, they featured the distinctive line-up of two mbira players, cleverly amplifying the rhythmic, jangling sound of this African "thumb piano", and now matched against guitar, bass and drums, and occasional appearances from a youthful brass trio. Their playing was slick, compelling and insistent, and driven on by the furious antics of their bare-footed female singer and dancer. Mapfumo, the legendary "lion of Zimbabwe" stalked on stage, dressed in black.

Now 59, he still has a fine deep voice, and he switched between ballads and up-beat chimurenga (struggle) songs, often performed while he mysteriously crouched on his haunches. The result was an engaging, if somewhat repetitive, dance set, thanks to that powerful band, who were not even rewarded with a name-check. There was little passion or fury from the man who once sang out against Ian Smith.