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WOMADelaide Botanic Park, 4 - 6 March  With
ominous clouds looming, Womadelaide rolled into town for another year
this weekend, and it managed to live up to the event's richly deserved
reputation.As usual, the daytime slots were filled with storytellers drawing from indigenous traditions around the world, while the night was reserved for dancing. Saturday opened very promisingly with Vuli Mahlaselo providing appropriately sunny tunes early in the piece and encouraging the crowd to sing along with him. Winning all and sundry over with his humble approach, he joked his way through the set, but also took time to address some of the serious issues from his native South Africa's past. Dulsori, on the other hand, chose to let their music do the talking and after they began their furious assault on cue, didn't let up for the entire hour. Pummelling the crowd with their intricately layered rhythms, they were somewhat reminiscent of Japanese acts like Taikoz, though the outdoor stage was a far better arena than a concert hall, allowing the crowd to move about freely. In addition, they offered a visual diversion by having one member paint a canvas onstage in time with the music. The Nick Parnell Trio, who followed them on the smaller stage 5, were percussionists of an entirely different sort. The Australian group absolutely entranced the crowd with their mix of African, Caribbean and Middle Eastern influences, creating an incredibly lush sound that belied the group's small size. One of the discoveries of the festival for me, their set revolved around Parnell's marimba while Tim Irrgang and Jo Fragnito worked their way through a myriad of other percussion instruments, and together they were about as evocative as music can be; it's acts like this that provide a reason to get involved in music in the first place. Their take on I Shot The Sheriff certainly had the crowd swaying along, though for my money the steel drum created a sound that was a little too harsh, and the more relaxed numbers were closer to what I needed for a lazy Saturday afternoon. It was sad not to see "the refuge" return for another year; even though the mattresses and cushions in the shade of a huge Moreton Bay Fig might not have been absolutely necessary with the overcast conditions, it was always a pleasant place to relax with friends with the music still going on in the background. As the day wore on, the energy in the sets got ever greater, and the operatic grandeur of Les Yeux Noirs announced that it was time to dance. Their mournful strings sounded like a dirge for the setting sun before they sped things up and welcomed in another autumn evening; violinists prowled the stage while the accordionist went berserk and many in the crowd struggled to keep up with their manic pace, making do with a double-time jig as best they could. By the end of their blockbuster set, the crowd was thoroughly worked up, but for a few people it wasn't time to dance just yet. There were a lot of grey hairs in the crowd that migrated over to Richie Havens' set, but from the moment he strummed the opening bars to All Along The Watchtower, it was obvious that it would be an enjoyable set for each one of them. With just a single backing guitarist for most of the set, he somehow managed to create a truly intimate atmosphere in the open air and made the sound resonate by pouring himself into the music, the raw emotion in his voice (and, no doubt, a trace of nostalgia,) bringing a tear to the eye for some in the crowd. His set was mostly comprised of songs made famous by others, but when he played his own Freedom, the crowd was absolutely dumbstruck, and the deafening applause that followed was testament to the fact that on his first visit here, he had pleased both old and new fans. Another man on his first trip down under, Alpha Blondy, pleased even more people with his traditional horn-driven reggae. It's not often that Adelaide is privileged to witness a 7-piece reggae band, much less one as tight as The Solar System, and from the moment they opened with the riff from Led Zeppelin's Rock & Roll, Adelaide let them know that their effort was appreciated. Halfway through this opening jam, Blondy himself appeared onstage, and throughout the night he pranced around the stage with as much energy as anyone in the crowd. Playing a greatest hits set he mixed things up well, throwing in some of his most contemplative tracks like Masada and Jerusalem alongside more uptempo numbers like Peace In Liberia, and each song in the set contained a message, one that was often hard to miss. During Peace In Liberia, he had a good portion of the crowd singing along with him, as he did for much of the set, which nicely echoed the themes of unity and peace that he espoused. Daara J really set the crowd alight with a set that emphasised the reggae aspect of their music. Seeing them earlier in the day for an interview, they had seemed tired and were remarkably subdued right up until the very end, when they exploded into a cipher, Ndongo D beatboxing while Alhadji Man and Faada Freddy jumped around and took turns rhyming animatedly. The stage show was even more spectacular, the three of them running all over the stage throughout the night alternately performing physical and linguistic acrobatics, and the enormous crowd didn't fail to be impressed by their show. Starting with songs that were easy for the crowd to chant along to like Exodus and the gorgeous Esperanza, things got under way well, but everyone went absolutely bananas as the rapid fire remix of Bopp Sa Bopp kicked in and things went into overdrive. Faada Freddy in particular, bewildered everyone with a rapid-fire Wolof delivery, that would have been tough for even his bandmates to ecipher, not that anyone cared - they were all too busy working up a sweat. Somehow, they even managed to get the entire crowd of thousands to move each way in time with the music without anyone getting hurt in the process. These guys were one of the talking points before the festival, and it's safe to say that they didn't disappoint- from start to finish the show, like their album, was non-stop entertainment. One of the most satisfying aspects of Womadelaide always comes after most of the crowd has left, and rather than the mess that's left behind after festivals like the Big Day Out, there's just the grassy parklands, silently waiting for the next day, to be invaded once again by a ramshackle army of aging hippies and their grandkids, all ready to make way for someone who needs to get through, or listen to an act they've never heard of. Few festival environments are as tolerant as Womadelaide, and that's part of the reason why it's one of the most experiences that Adelaide has to offer.  Predictably,
the 2005 version of WOMADelaide had a number of firsts and exclusives,
and a great many highlights and special moments. That these things
should not only be expected but consistently delivered says quite
a lot about the nature of the event and why it has built up such an
enviable reputation over its lifetime. A couple of issues were slightly
offputting though - one unavoidable, the other not.The first was the rain that affected Friday night and possibly kept crowd numbers down, though a healthy number were still in attendance. Their reaction was maybe more subdued too, due to the difficulty of applauding while holding an umbrella! Nonetheless, after Rob Brookman's dedication of the festival to detained asylum seekers and the traditional Aboriginal welcome, the musicians on the opening night proved they were up to the task of entertaining an increasingly sodden crowd, and paved the way for the diversity of the whole weekend. The Kronos Quartet joked that their opening number was "first performed on another rainy festival night in 1969", then launched into the Jimi Hendrix version of Star Spangled Banner complete with sound effects. Their repertoire ranged from Indian film music such as Rahul Dev Burman's Tonight Is The Night to Ethiopian music and beyond, and unsurprisingly showed what dramatic and accomplished musicians they are. They were possibly quite heavy going for an opening act, requiring a good deal of concentration to appreciate fully but their many fans had no problem doing so. At the same time, The Audreys had attracted their own sizable and appreciative crowd, who thoroughly enjoyed the strong vocal harmonies and tight musicianship. Their style of country music is easy-going and easy to enjoy, and naturally featured songs from their CD, and a charming version of INXS' Don't Change. I would have liked to hear more of Yair Dalal and the Asmar Ensemble whose combination of Israeli and Iraqi music was in turn evocative, mesmeric and quite intoxicating but the need to experience most of what WOMAD has to offer requires a certain amount of moving around the site, particularly if a couple of favourite acts are playing simultaneously. This can afford the chance to make certain observations, however. Moving from crowd favourites Zap Mama who were loud, tight and professional - and arrived onstage to cheers from the crowd - to the up close and personal workshop by the Adel Salameh Trio (Palestine/Algeria) showed that overt and subtle musical energy can be equally strong in their own ways. Salameh's facial expressions showed just how much he was feeling the music, ably assisted by Naziha Azzouz' strong vocals. From the UK, Jim Moray was louder and rockier than his last local gig at the Fringe, aided and abetted by a full band this time. His contemporary take on traditional English music is apparently effective, as one of my abiding images of the weekend is of young people singing along to the chorus of a song as old as Two Sisters, the modern rock arrangement keeping the material alive for current generations. He previewed a couple of as yet unrecorded songs, Barbara Allen and Come With Me, which again show his love of the music he plays. Saturday was dryer and warmer, and brought up the usual problem of "so much to see, how to fit it all in?". Various highlights included Sally Ford & The Pachuco Playboys with their authentic salsa and rhumba sound (the dancers at the front needing little encouragement), and the impressive vocal gymnastics of Ustad Rashid Khan. Khan's music is complex and requires concentration from the listeners and intuition between the performers. In common with many other acts, the fact that the music is in another language, or even instrumental, is entirely unimportant as the music itself knows how to portray the desired emotions. "It took WOMADelaide to get us back together," said David Bridie at the start of Not Drowning Waving's return gig after a dozen years' hiatus. They certainly didn't sound rusty and still have an energy and sound all their own, which is timeless and distinctive: the addition of George Telek and other PNG artists made their set all the more special, and the crowd loved the chance to hear favourites such as Tabaran, Crazy Birds and Palau in concert again. May NDW consider a more permanent reformation! My personal favourite on the day was French band Les Yeux Noirs, making their Australian debut. The musicianship of the twin lead violinists (brothers Eric and Olivier Slabiak) was close enough to virtuoisic, as was the cymbalum playing of Marian Miu. Backed by electric bass, drums and cello, they produced a wonderfully joyous and raucous sound, with material largely from the French, Yiddish and gypsy traditions. They were tight and professional but mostly good fun, and were one of the acts I had to see from start to finish. Saturday night brought to mind the second offputting matter - in case you thought I'd forgotten! I enjoyed what I heard of Ozomatli's set; the problem being I couldn't help but hear them wherever I was on the site, the volume being so high. Obviously, loud music per se is not a bad thing, but neither is respect for other musicians playing at the same time. Bulgarian born singer Silvia Entcheva was performing a vocal workshop at the opposite end of the park, and even she had difficulty in being heard. Even though they aren't my personal cup of organic coffee, the Cafˇ At The Gate Of Salvation had the same problem at the same time. I admired their ability to concentrate and harmonise regardless of distractions. Later, the volume of Daara J created similar problems for fellow acts such as Mia Dyson. It's inevitable some sound leakage will occur from stage to stage, but my question would be why deliberately exacerbate it? Onto Sunday: The first act who caught my ear as I entered the site was Gambian Jali Buba Kuyateh. The performance from Kuyateh and friends was acoustic but energetic, comprising kora, percussion and strong passionate vocals. Their sound attracted many other onlookers upon entry to the grounds. New Zealand singer and songwriter Mahinarangi Tocker, another victim of Saturday night's volume, fared better on Sunday. She and her band presented some strong contemporary material such as From Good To Wrong and Sweetheart which she described as klezmer but sounded more reggae/pop to my ears. Her singing is strong and confident and she comes across as a down-to-earth person, also willing to share the limelight with fellow band members. Lo'Jo were the highlight I expected them to be -they started with Jah Kas Cool Boy, perhaps one of their better known songs, and continued with a set comprising material that was very accessible even on first hearing, with a great deal of light and shade. The vocals soared, as did the arrangements, and not only did the set demand to be heard in its entirety, but it called for further exploration of this group's uniquely captivating music. In common with other acts over the weekend, they also expressed sincere appreciation at being able to perform at WOMADelaide. I caught part of Harper's set, which was certainly the bluesiest I heard over the weekend. His voice and personality are both strong, though this is combined with a friendly and chatty demeanour. Of course, his harmonica and didgeridoo playing have rightly brought him international attention, and his WOMAD set was a confident one, including songs such as Glass On The Stepping Stone and Does Anybody Really Care?. Legendary Scottish band Capercaillie were my final musical experience for the weekend. It has been said that they are slick and professional to the point of being workmanlike on stage, but perhaps that has something to do with the ease with which they perform, and the fact that they concentrate more on the music than any flashy visuals. However, their Sunday night set clearly showed their professionalism and musicality, as well as their sense of humour in various introductions. Karen Matheson's beautiful voice and ability to sing tongue-twisting mouth music were inevitably a highlight, and they certainly reciprocated the audience's appreciation of them. Instrumentals such as Homer's Reel were a major part of the performance, but hits like Coisich a Ruin were also definite crowd pleasers. The volume issue aside, I detected very few sound problems throughout the event. It was quite noticeable too that the 'Zero Waste' policy worked very well - the ground usually looked remarkably clean, given the number of people and the amount of litter that could have accumulated. It's funny how you can pick up little snippets of conversation, and they just seem to sum up what it's all about. At one point I just happened to hear a young boy, probably about 8, say to his mother, "I like WOMAD music!" So do I, so do thousands of others. Long may the event continue to attract all generations to this celebration of life and humanity.  |
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