There are days when, for all it’s savageness, humankind impresses me. Days which will live on in memory for centuries. I really feel today is such a day. The day when humanity came together o do something great. Perhaps it is naive to pin much hope on live 8 – after all, live aid did not seem to have a great effect – but I am a naive kind of person. If the events around the world today change the fortunes of Africa, then it is all good.

I have been wondering about one thing recently though: how can music do this? How can music change the world? As a student of film, I know music is a major part of mise-en-scene: it commands the mood of the film. A few seconds of a simple series of notes tells us that 007 is about to make something explode; it is the imperial march that gives vader such an air of ominousness; and so on. Music adds another dimension, not only o film, but to life.

It is everywhere we go – we even play it in our internal monologues. On Wednesday, I was at my friend Robert’s place, playing music with friends. We had invited two members of a band from Zimbabwe, who had been playing at artscool, round, and we just jammed. I was given a shaker to play, and it was cool, listening to music, and singing. My friend rich, I discovered, is an excellent drummer,; there were a couple of people playing acoustic guitars; Simba was on the thumb piano; Rob and I were on shakers. That moment, when Rob’s small house filled with music, was utter bliss.

Music is truly powerful stuff. It can fill a soul with joy. It is also a force, unto itself, and one which sir Bob Geldof has chosen to fight poverty. And you know what? I think it is up to the task.