Ibibio Sound Machine wear their African influences lightly.

Eno Williams, dressed in a peacock-print dress with green feather and fake bird stuck on her left shoulder, might disagree.

She’s a Londoner who grew up in Nigeria and penned lyrics for Ibibio Sound Machine’s debut record from old Nigerian folk tales told to her by her mother and grandmother.

But the European and Latin American influences of her band – imaginative Brazilian percussionist Anselmo Netto, a three-piece horn section who switched between keys and synths, plus a grimacing, leather jacket-clad bass player – dominated more than the touches of Ghanian guitarist Alfred “Kari” Bannerman, who is still best known for his work with Osibisa.

There was no way through for his chopped-out funk riffs and slices of Highlife when faced with his colleagues’ bubbling electro-pop and horn assault. It meant things got muddy and one-paced – despite Williams’ relentless energy and charisma, which more than made up for her occasional lack of vocal tone and power.

Not that the sweaty, twirling crowd seemed to mind. The night was a celebration of African culture programmed by forward-thinking cultural explorers Ye Ye Fever.