The electronic act opened with the classic Black Radio and went on to deliver soothingly synthetic renditions of Jay-Z and Kanye’s Church in the Wild and Daft Punk’s Get Lucky separated by an epic sax solo by the multi-talented singer, saxophonist and coloured quiff-rocking Casey Benjamin. Let it Ride was performed drum and bass style and followed by an epic breakout from drummer Mark Colenburg.

Stand Alone was punctuated by an almost shamanic guitar session by bassist and Blue Note recording artist Derrick Hodge where everyone else left the stage.

R&B crooner Raheem Devaughn pounced on stage with No Worries and let us know what kind of woman he appreciates with his hit Woman, getting a verbal exchange between the men and women of the audience going.

The stand out song was Somebody Else with Emeli Sande, who came on stage to effortlessly add her haunting lyrics to an already atmospheric musical landscape. The other guest was Laura Mvula on Jill Scott’s Calls.

Glasper has a funny bravado on stage and his antics made the audience literally laugh out loud – saying he was going to sing, messing around on the piano and making a terrifically cheesy go of Cyndi Lauper’s Time After Time to the begrudging compliance of his band were highlights.

Supporting act Vula Malinga equaled if not surpassed Glasper’s hilarity when telling us about her having purchased a ticket to the show, but since she drunkenly grabbed the mic at a previous Glasper show he invited her at short notice to open for him.

It was a mellow yet innovative night full of raw talent. I could have done with even more improvisation and comedic moments and as the set ended it seemed somewhat premature – perhaps Glasper joking about Common coming on stage created too much hype! (Words, pics and video: Róisín Lonergan)

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On the surface of it, this brief 45-minute gig is just a plug for Ice T’s new hip-hop memorial Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap, but it has its merits. They’re all zealous ambassadors for the part they’ve played in the scenes 30-odd year story, with Melle Mel’s being the pimp of the party, rocking the hat and suit to match. As the first act of the night, he starts us off with the obligatory call and response, before energetically laying into his famous hit The Message then skilfully reeling off the opening lines from songs by Kurtis Blow, Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock and even Naughty By Nature. He then finishes off with a snippet of his guest spot on Grandmaster Flash’s White Lines before demanding the hyped crowd to say “yeeeeeeeeeeea!”.

He’s followed by Chuck D – who as the political elder statesman always makes Fight The Power sound relevant, and delivers new song I Shall Not Be Moved, a vitriol targeted at the present state of society. He’s more of a languid performer Chuck, so when Wu Tang’s Raekwon bounds onto the stage 10mins later, with a surprise appearance from his colleague Ghostface Killah, it feels like the crowd is treated to a mini-concert, and roars their appreciation accordingly. A performance of C.R.E.A.M by the younger pair is the riotous centrepiece of the night – that is, until Ice-T steps onto the stage near the end of the proceedings, with a set which proves he’s still as gangsta as he was in the 90s. When he raps “I’m an old school nigga, graying hair…still have you killed from a wheelchair”, you can’t help but believe him. By the end, we’re treated to a surprise performance from the UK’s Hijack – a Brixton MC from back in the day – and a new song from Ice-T, making tonight feel like one of those proud reunions that should happen in hip-hop more often – and hopefully off the back of his new doc, they will.

Something From Nothing: The Art of Rap is out in selected UK cinemas today.

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