An exuberant product of London's musical melting pot, Ibibio Sound Machine are an eight-piece band who mix west African styles with electronica and Latin percussion, and look set to triumph on the festival circuit this summer. This was the official launch of their debut album, and their starting point was Highlife and Afrobeat. But their aim was not to rigorously rework Fela Kuti's ideas but create a new fusion.

Their singer, Eno Williams, is a Londoner who grew up listening to her grandmother telling folk stories from Nigeria in the Ibibio language, and tales such as The Talking Fish or Uwa the Peacock formed the basis for many of her energetic songs, sung (in Ibibio) with the power and passion of a great soul and funk star. She was a charismatic performer with a sense of humour, singing with a stuffed bird with a peacock feather perched on her shoulder. She was backed by a band of impressive musicians, with a tight, attacking rhythm trio that included the inventive Brazilian percussionist Anselmo Netto and a three-piece horn section who doubled on keyboards, often switching mid-song to add effects that ranged from quirky electro-pop to a wailing homage to 1970s African psychedelia.

The veteran in the band was the Ghanaian guitarist Alfred "Kari" Bannerman, best known for his work with Osibisa, who added anything from echoes of Highlife to wailing rock solos and furiously effective funk riffs. They were playing to a packed room in this adventurous Camden venue, and gave the crowd what they wanted, mixing the Nigerian tales with songs such as Let's Dance, which was repeated as their encore. All that was lacking was variety. They started out at a furious pace and never let up, mysteriously ignoring the quirky and intriguing blend of gospel and electronica that provides some of the best tracks on the album.

At Brighton Festival, Dome Corn Exchange, 17 May. Box office: 01273 261525.

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