In the beginning, there was the House Gospel Choir. On a day when the skies threatened to open at any minute, it was going to take something special to raise the temperature as WOMAD's Big Red Tent hosted its third act of the festival. As it proved, the choir had spiritual healing in abundance, even as the water began cascading down from the heavens.

Wasting no time getting the party started in deepest Wiltshire with a pounding house beat on one of the meatier sound systems at the gigantic world music event, they soon had the crowd jumping for joy.

House music from its inception has always had a reverential, evangelical element through its samples and voiceovers - the much revisited My House (Jack Had a Groove) by Fingers Inc being a case in point. The ensemble have had the masterstroke of visiting this crossing point from a gospel standpoint, rather than from behind the decks - though a DJ was part of the act. Fittingly, the Jack Had a Groove vocal was thrown into the mix, though the choir also have their own material. At least 20-strong on a stage with barely room to add a sardine, they led through energetic dance moves, the direction of lead singer Sherelle “ShezAr” McKenzie and breakout elements including rappers and horns. ShezAr told the crowd: "We are not here to stand around, we are here to party and celebrate life."

A theme throughout this performance, and many others in WOMAD, has been about uniting through music in the face of many terrible world events, and the choir led the way.

The playlist - though they added their own uplifting, collaborative touch to each number - included covers of classics such as Show Me Love by Robin S and Ain't Nobody, recorded and remixed by sundry artists and producers over the years.

Not all the vocalists were up to the standard of ShezAr, perhaps struggling with roving microphones not connecting smoothly with the rig.

But even after the Londoners briefly slowed for a gospel number it was all systems uptempo again.

The heavens truly opened by the time the spiritual rave reached its climax with a mash-up incorporating elements of Kanye West's Jesus Walks.

But it mattered not, the crowd was in rapture, the tone set for a memorable and reaffirming meeting of world music in this tent and elsewhere at the festival.