Norman Cook’s last album as Fatboy Slim didn’t do too well but it was still surprising to see him go from performing in front of thousands on Brighton Beach to a few dozen punters in a charity shop.

It was all for a good cause, as the veteran DJ donned his loudest shirt to help launch Oxfam’s Oxjam season. A month of nationwide gigs by grassroots musicians, with proceeds going to the charity, there have been some 3,000 events since 2006.

Walking along an otherwise dead Tooting High Street, the flickering strobes and violent bass coming from behind the closed shutters of the Oxfam shop made it look like the site of an illegal rave. It obviously wasn’t designed with hosting gigs in mind, given the overpowering heat and ripe smells upon entry.

With clothes, computer games and records, from Rick Astley and Bucks Fizz to The Doors and Black Sabbath, still on sale around the walls, the centre of the room was surprisingly empty, the event proving almost too exclusive to generate the feverish atmosphere such a rare spectacle deserved.

Cook romped on regardless, a giant grin never far from his face, mouthing every word of the songs he mixed on record decks, CD players and a laptop. Still showing no sign of embarking on a minimal techno direction, he incorporated the sounds of James Brown, The Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson and Survivor alongside newer dance tracks by Mylo, Duck Sauce and of course, himself.

Remarkably, the shop is open during the day after last night’s gig and also after performances by VV Brown, Tony Allen and Editors, who play there tonight.

If you’re shopping in Tooting’s Oxfam today, please excuse the funny smell.