The Kings conquered the show

Yusuf Ali, a Dubai-born UAE national, didn't understand much of the Catalan lyrics of the Gipsy Kings' songs, marked by frenetic flamenco chords and gitane shouts. So did most of his friends and a crowd of 6,000 who jammed the night away on Thursday with the band's energetic music.

Just the same, the Kings - actual French Gypsies described as the best ambassadors of the Andulasian musical spirit - sent their Dubai audience into a dancing spree during a three-hour live performance at the Aviation Club.

"I just love their music and the beat, I'm a great fan of theirs," said Ali, while undulating with his friends to the vigorous rhythm of Bamboleo.

The Kings, in Dubai for the third time, are also the biggest-selling foreign act in Europe and the U.S., credited for bringing the joyful sounds of progressive pop-oriented Flamenco to the world.

Brad Bourland, a banker from Riyadh, flew into Dubai just to attend the concert with his wife Marcy. "My wife is Hispanic and I love this kind of music and the great dancing too - whether its samba, rhumba or mambo."

"There's something about their music that serves every mood which people pass through," said Yara Ibrahim, a 24-year-old Egyptian girl, during a 20-minute break. She finds herself feeling like a quick-melt cheese with the Kings' love songs On Amour and instrumental Passion.

"The band's fame transcends language and nationality barriers," said Naheed Mehrad, an Iranian ex-diplomat who watched the concert with her son. "It doesn't matter if you don't understand them all...I have a CD, cassette and LP collection of these guys," said Naheed, her words buried by the strumming of Kings' seven acoustic guitars and a five-piece band accompaniment.

The group, from the towns of Arles and Montpelier in France, is composed of the Reyes and Baliardo brothers - known for their Catalan music marked by passionate vocals and second voices.

"I love Flamenco music," said Maria Hughes a teacher at the Women's College in Sharjah who attended the concert with two visiting friends from Ireland. "But I love the great dancing that goes with it, too - Flamenco mixed with Salsa is like water for chocolate."

The Flamenco fuses the music of Southern Europe and Middle East, which share several similarities.

Says Andre Reyes, one of the lead guitarists and vocalists in the group, "We've thoroughly enjoyed each trip to this region...The people are a joy to play for because they are generous of spirit. The audience is always happy and welcoming and make no qualms about the fact that they enjoy listening to our music as much as we enjoy playing it. As musicians, we enjoy watching people having a good time and dancing to our music."

He said that his group also loves staging concerts in other Arab countries. "There are so many similarities between our music and theirs. Our music tends to have an Oriental feel to it, as is the case with a lot of Arabic music."

At the end to the show, the crowd at the packed Aviation Club had enjoyed it so much that they shouted "we want more".

The group sang many of their other hits, including, Vamos A Bailar, Vamos A Cantar (Let's Dance, Let's Sing), Canto, Galaxia and La Dona (The Woman).

The Gipsy Kings have 15 international gold and platinum records. Their most recent CD was a greatest hits package, Volare! The Very Best of the Gipsy Kings, released in September 2000.