World gigs of the week: Africa Express, various venues

The roll-call includes blind musicians Amadou and Mariam

Africa Express puts some amazing ingredients together, risks unexpected combinations and serves up a banquet. It started with Damon Albarn taking some Western musicians to record in Mali, but now it has gone loco.

The Africa Express train departs London on Sunday for a nationwide tour, arriving back at King's Cross on 8 September. What makes it interesting is the promise of pop-up performances at railway stations, schools, factories, offices and homes along the route.

The roll-call includes Albarn, Bassekou Kouyate, Amadou and Mariam, Baaba Maal, Diabel Cissokho, John McClure, Kano, Krar Collective, Maxïmo Park, The Noisettes, Rokia Traoré and Toumani Diabaté.

Middlesbrough Town Hall (01642 729 729; seetickets.com) Mon; Arches Glasgow (0141 5651000; thearches.co.uk) Tue, The Ritz Manchester (0845 2 500 500; bandonthewall.org) Wed; Solus, Cardiff University (02920 230130; seetickets.com) Thur; The Big Top@Creative Common, Bristol (0117 922 3686; colstonhall.org) Fri