Africa Express was the jewel in the crown of a restlessly creative season The Electric Proms Various venues, London and Liverpool

Ode to electric joy

Many of those who attended this year's Proms at the Royal Albert Hall are probably the parents of teenagers who wouldn't be caught dead in the vicinity of a cello, and who would far rather be in Camden than Kensington. Well, for the past three years the Proms has had just such an offspring of its own. The BBC Electric Proms is five days of innovative rock'n'roll that has almost nothing in common with its elderly relative, and is probably pretty embarrassed to be sharing its surname. Strutting between Camden venues Koko, the Roundhouse and the tiny Barfly, and this year, various spaces in Liverpool, the European Capital of Culture, it features the kind of performances that can't be seen anywhere else.

In previous years Paul Weller has performed with Amy Winehouse, James Brown has employed the Sugababes as backing singers, and Paul McCartney has played with a string section in intimate surroundings.

The main connection with the grown-up Proms is that both are broadcast on TV, radio and internet by the Beeb, but there were a number of orchestral moments at the Electric Proms this year too. The musical polymath Nitin Sawhney played with his own ensemble, the London Undersound Orchestra, as well as sitar and tabla players, Arab and Brazilian singers and his own flamenco guitar. The supremely confident songwriter Alex Turner of the Arctic Monkeys seemed right at home in Liverpool's Philharmonic Hall when joined by a 16-piece orchestra and his new foil Miles Kane, performing as the Last Shadow Puppets. Their 1960s-style suits and haircuts complemented songs that referenced the overwrought pop of the Walker Brothers. It seemed almost like pure pastiche, but original compositions such as "Meeting Place" and "Standing Next to Me" were so strong that they may become standards themselves in a few decades' time.

Burt Bacharach, composer of more standards than almost anyone else alive, put in a rare appearance at the Roundhouse. He slipped smoothly between timeless classics, but the show also demonstrated the problem with the Electric Proms' emphasis on collaborations across generations: with such an unimpeachable legend at the piano, the guest singers Adele, Jamie Cullum and Beth Rowley could only look like upstarts.

Mike Skinner of The Streets made rather less use of the extra musicians during his performance. The tearjerking favourite "Dry Your Eyes" benefited from weepy strings, but mainly the orchestra seemed to be an excuse for Skinner to play up to his geezerish reputation by dressing them all in white Reebok Classic trainers.

Oasis, too, could have made more of their classical collaboration with 50 members of the Crouch End Festival Chorus. Joining the band for just six songs, the choir looked like kittens behind Liam Gallagher's feral presence. Blasting out a snatch of Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" during the furious finale of "I Am the Walrus" was a lovely nod to the real Proms.

It was Damon Albarn, formerly of Blur, who provided the highlight of the season with his Africa Express night at Koko. The show consisted of seven hours of vaguely planned cooperation between more than 100 western and African artists, who wandered on and off this roadie's nightmare of a stage, frequently improvising layer upon layer of sound.

Africa Express was set up by the journalist Ian Birrell, with Albarn's support, as a reaction to the lack of African stars performing at the Live 8 concerts in 2005. Similar shows have taken place in Lagos, Kinshasa, Liverpool, and at the Glastonbury Festival, but this was its highest-profile outing. While star quality was lacking among the westerners (Albarn, Johnny Marr and Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers were the biggest names), they were thoroughly outshone by extraordinarily talented Africans, including Baaba Maal, Rachid Taha, Amadou & Mariam and Toumani Diabaté. The mighty 3am conclusion of "Rock the Casbah" summed up the spirit of this joyous, restlessly creative season.

Pick of the week

Al Green
Touring until 6 November

Soul singer-turned-preacher is back with old and new material.

Lambchop
3 and 4 November, Union Chapel, London N1
Innovative Texans draw on country and rock influences.

Hot Chip
Touring until 7 November
Gawky electro-poppers, supported by rapper Wiley and laptop abuser Max Tundra.

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