Organisers chose the Yemeni Research Centre to host Noir Désir's historic performance - but it soon became clear that the 550-seater venue in downtown Sanaa would not be enough to hold the crowd! On Tuesday 9 April hundreds of fans flocked to the Yemeni Research Centre, clamouring to get into the gig and by the time the concert began at 7.30pm an audience of over 1,000 had squeezed themselves into the tiny theatre.

Noir Désir kicked off their set with a vibrant new version of their classic Si rien ne bouge then launched into a 90-minute run-through of their greatest hits including A l'endroit, à l'envers, Le vent nous emportera, Des armes, Bouquet de nerfs, Tostaki, A l'arrière du taxi and L' homme préssé (the track which won the band the "Victoire de la Musique" award for Best Song of the Year in 1998). The audience, many of whom discovered the French four-piece in Sanaa for the first time, took little persuasion to get into the Noir Désir groove, swaying and clapping their hands with abandon.

Leaping around the stage with the energy of a whirling dervish, Noir Désir's frontman Bertrand Cantat wore a keffieh (traditional Arab scarf) as part of his concert garb, symbolising the group's commitment to the Palestinian cause and their on-going fight against racism and xenophobia.

Cantat's charismatic vocals and Noir Désir's vibrant rock performance scored a huge hit with the audience in Sanaa and the Yemeni fans we interviewed after the show all hailed the concert as a resounding success. Expressing their joy at discovering the cult French rock band in their homeland for the first time, fans claimed the event had been an important vehicle for opening Yemen up to other cultures. And one French enthusiast - who works in Yemen but had nevertheless driven three hours to get to the gig - declared he was "totally blown away by the concert! It's a really unique event for Yemen!"

Cantat and Noir Désir's guitarist Serge Teyssot-Gay appeared equally happy with the performance, admitting backstage after the show that the enthusiastic reception they earned in Sanaa would encourage them to return to Queen of Sheba-land at a later date. Packing their bags for Istanbul, the final date of their Middle East tour in Turkey on April 12, the band waved a fond farewell to Sanaa music fans and promised they'd be back again very soon.

Fady Matar reporting from Sanaa

Des visages des Figures (Barclay/Universal)