Paul McCartney plays Africa Express show in London with Damon Albarn

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Paul McCartney plays Africa Express show in London with Damon Albarn
Former Beatle is awarded the French Legion of Honour, then takes train to London for show with the Africa Express collective
guardian.co.uk 
Sunday 9 September 2012

Sir Paul McCartney joined over 80 musicians from Africa, the UK and the US at a concert in London on Saturday night, performing two Wings songs with Africa Express.

Earlier in the day, the former Beatle had been awarded France's highest public award, the French Legion of Honour, for his services to music. He then took the Eurostar back to London, and went the few hundred yards from St Pancras to Granary Square to meet Damon Albarn.

The Blur singer has spent the week touring the UK with a collective of musicians known as the Africa Express in a specially chartered train. Following shows in Middlesborough, Glasgow, Manchester, Cardiff and Bristol, the train returned to London for a five-hour gig. The musicians on the train had only been told on Friday that "a very special guest" would be joining them for the show.

The lineup of musicians joining McCartney, 70, on stage included Albarn, drummer Tony Allen, Gruff Rhys of the Super Furry Animals, ngoni player Bassekou Kouyate, former Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones, the singers Rokia Traore, Terri Walker, Fatoumata Diawara, Martina Topley-Bird, Shinghai Shoniwa and several more. The collective played two Wings songs from 1979, Coming Up and Goodnight Tonight.

"It was like a dream come true," said Diawara after the show.

Seye, Damon Albarn, Bassekou Kouyate and Sir Paul McCartney (L-R) perform on stage during Damon Albarn's UK tour with the Africa Express collective. The finale show was held at Granary Square on 8 September 2012 in London, United Kingdom. Photograph: Philip Ryalls/Redferns via Getty Images