The Imagined Village came together ­ like, really came together, ­last night. If their live debut at WOMAD two years ago felt under-rehearsed and overwrought, the collective have now tightened up their act and are delivering something really special. Ten folk and world musicians, the “Parish Council” of this fantasy English idyll, milled under coloured lights: folk god Martin Carthy on acoustic guitar. Eliza Carthy on fiddle. Sheema Mukherjee, sitting cross-legged behind her sitar.

It was Simon Emmerson, late of festival favourites the Afro Celt Soundsystem, who came up with the idea of reworking folk songs with global influences to reflect multicultural Britain. Strumming his cittern — a Renaissance guitar — in front of a turbanned Johnny Kalsi on percussion and Andy Gangadeen on kit drums, he left between-song chat to the likes of geezer folkie Chris Wood.

Songs drawn from the current album Empire and Love included the updated anti-war ballad My Son John and the evergreen Scarborough Fair. Sturdy singing and string backing were embellished with washes of electronica, even samples of birdsong.

Numbers built slowly then erupted into programmed beats before the layers peeled away again, revealing the song. What with Emmerson filming us flicking Vs and shouting “bollocks!” to BNP leader Nick Griffin, and a poignant Cum On Feel the Noize as encore, this was a gathering like no other.