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WOMADelaide 2006 Botanic Park, Friday 10th - Sunday 12th March  Generally
speaking, the memories of WOMADelaide 2006 are likely to be similar
to those of previous years in terms of personal musical highlights
and the typically positive WOMAD atmosphere, but there are always
other changeable factors that will affect one's appreciation of the
event. The one thing out of everybody's hands is always the weather
and this year it was not particularly kind. High-30s heat along with
oppressive humidity on the Saturday made things very difficult for
patron and performer alike. In some ways, it almost became an endurance
test rather than a cultural event. To that end, credit must be given
to the acts who gave their all regardless, and to the audience who
in the main found what shade they could and had a good time anyway.
There were also those who seemed capable of standing out in the heat and dancing despite it, though I refuse to believe at least a few of them didn't regret it afterwards! Sunday started cooler and slightly less humid, before a welcome change brought plenty of rain for the late afternoon and evening. The ability to appreciate the music increased exponentially and made for a far more pleasant experience; I can certainly understand the joyful dancing in the rain that I saw around me. Another aspect to consider is the range of music and styles on offer, which can have its own twists, turns and emphases from year to year. I didn't quite realise from the programme that this year featured so many drumming and percussion ensembles. It wasn't billed as such, but it was certainly a percussion-heavy line-up - obviously very good for the dancers but I must admit I would have preferred the balance to tip a bit further the other way. It goes without saying every percussion act involved great skill and strength, but to my ears they needed something extra to make it listenable for more than a short while. A few managed to do so - Scottish artist Evelyn Glennie, who I saw on Sunday, was utterly intriguing. Her performance on a battery of instruments, including an Adelaide-made marimba was skilful, controlled and unpredictable. Pieces included Rhythmic Caprice and Prim by Icelandic composer Askell Masson, on which Glennie showed her rhythmic expertise on a lone snare drum. The marimba pieces were an intriguing mix of tune and rhythm, made all the more special by the fact she can only feel the notes rather than hear them. She earned a standing ovation and a rare encore. Likewise, Canadian act Scrap Arts Music exhibited a keen sense of musicality along with their percussive prowess, aided by some rather clever choreography. Using bits of recycled and salvaged metal, they created sounds that were well structured and at times sounded like a music box gone berserk. The thought that went into their presentation extended to the use of lighting and glow in the dark drumsticks, making for a quite unique performance. Highlights are a personal matter by their nature, but the significance of Miriam Makeba's Friday night concert would not have been lost on anyone. At the age of 74, and after several decades as a highly influential African artist, she has decided to give up music and embark on her farewell tour. Knowing this was the last time she would be seen here made it a very bittersweet show. She arrived to rapturous applause and though her versions of Africa Is Where My Heart Lies and In Time showed the effects of aging on her voice, it was still strong and full of character, with plenty of expression and personality. Her material stretched way back to the early 1950s with Mbube (Wimoweh). It was noticeable that she left the singing to other members of her band at regular intervals but her stamina was still evident, and the farewell became more real when she offered sincere thank you's to those who helped her personally and who fought in the struggle against apartheid. My personal highlight were undoubtedly La Bottine Souriante from Quebec. They proved even livelier on stage than CD, with the added impact of the choreography and the obvious fun they have. I caught both their performances, though the Saturday night one seemed the better of the two. Each time, they had a large crowd awaiting them, who were rewarded with more of a show than a straight gig. An entertaining mix of Celtic, jazzy roots music, the 10-piece band effortlessly moved from brass-led dance tunes to acappella numbers to tap dancing - at one point featuring four members in a sit-down battle with claquettes (tapshoes) and handclapping. In the main, their performance consisted of very lively Celtic-based tunes with intriguing brass arrangements, making for a literally captivating performance.  Sharon
Shannon & Friends were unsurprisingly another feature of the festival.
Shannon has a friendly, easy demeanour and it must be said it sounded
like this particular combination had been playing together for years.
Excellent playing was the rule on a mix of jigs, reels and tunes including
John Morris Rankin's and the perennial Music For A Found Harmonium,
the latter always a crowd favourite. Each member was individually
and democratically featured; one high point being Dezi Donnelly's
blazing-fiddle rendition of The Mason's Apron. With a full weekend to encapsulate, there needs to be a certain amount of flitting from stage to stage required to gain a good overview. However, it's a testament to the artists - practically without exception - that their strengths become apparent very quickly. The following summary of acts that caught my attention over the course of the event is in no particular order. From Brazil, Chico Cesar proved quite a find, with vocals strong and/or plaintive as required, and some excellent guitar work. He was at the Zoo stage, one of the smaller ones, but he worked it well to a strong response. Jalsa Creole (Mauritius) had the audience in the palm of their hands with excellent, tight and very rhythmic music, augmented by a quartet of colourful dancers. Their good humour was also a definite attraction. I caught Coco Mbassi's Friday night show and like her entire audience, was very impressed with her smooth performance and evocative, heartfelt vocals. This was broken somewhat by the parade noisily passing by but she carried on professionally, to her credit. Farida & The Iraqi Maqam Ensemble poignantly demonstrated the culture behind and beyond the drama in their home country. Lead singer Farida possesses a strong, clear voice and while it was clear the audience was behind the group from the start, the final standing ovation proved it beyond doubt. Orchestra Baobab (Senegal) was recommended to me by a reliable source - they also obviously enjoy themselves on stage while still exhibiting great instrumental prowess. Their rhythms are of the type generally referred to as "infectious", and it took very little time for them to develop a good rapport with the crowd. The Renegades Steel Orchestra has been in existence for around 50 years and that sort of experience can't help but show. Their sound was very full, perhaps not surprising with a 16-piece band, and they proved to be another crowd pleaser. Ravibhandu Vidyapathy & Ensemble from Sri Lanka were another standout percussion-based act, with pieces such as Many Colours which included Sri Lankan, Indian, Latin and Japanese beats, and an impressive vocal duel which sounded part-singing, part conversation.  Likewise,
the Dhol Foundation with Punjabi drums and "Indian Celtic music" stood
out with powerful performances and an enthusiastic response. They
attracted a huge crowd on the Friday night, and showed a good sense
of humour in their introductions, such as describing TDF Meet DCS
as their attempt at being an Indian boy band! They were also honest
enough to admit both their sets contained the same material. Excuse the potential heresy, but I found myself somewhat underwhelmed by Kanda Bongo Man. The music is soukous and therefore fun and made for dancing, which a large number of people were happy to do and maybe that's the best way to appreciate it. Musically however, there was little variation and each piece went on longer than it needed to, exacerbating the problem. The choreography also seemed fairly basic. After a couple of these lengthy pieces, I figured enough was enough. More light and shade is what I would humbly suggest in this case. Of course, there were many excellent examples of Australian music on offer too. So much so, it's hard to know where to start. Maybe with Joe Camilleri and Nicky Bomba, one of the many acts to battle Saturday's heat and still manage to keep the energy level up (also managing to add hints at keeping water levels up in the lyrics!). Backed by a full band, tracks from their 'Limestone' CD were featured, along with a fine version of the old Jo Jo Zep song Shape I'm In (a big influence on Bomba when first released). Their good-humoured set seemed appropriate for a hot afternoon, and the pedigree of all on stage was apparent. Paul Kelly & The Saltwater Boys were typically enjoyable, with great instrumental and vocal proficiency - and those songs. As with other acts, each player was given the chance to shine, resulting in a set combining professional, polished music and a good time. Songs included Stumbling Block, the classic To Her Door and Deeper Water, which Kelly dedicated to the Norwood Swimming Pool. Jeff Lang and band suffered from sound problems on the Saturday night but still provided some masterful playing on songs such as Lubbock Texas and Some Memories Never Die. They fared better on Sunday evening, when also joined by Lucky Oceans on pedal steel. The guitar work was superlative, especially on Here She Comes Again; part of the enjoyment coming from the uncertainty of where Lang will take a tune next. The Sunday afternoon set by Clare Bowditch And The Feeding Set was more subtle, which perhaps didn't work in her favour with a large crowd as the intricacies didn't seem to carry so well, especially with noisier audience members the further away one gets from the stage. Nonetheless, the material, including a couple of new songs in addition to well-known tracks like Midnight Bird (abridged here) and Divorcee By 23 was enjoyable alt-folk. Doch, from Brisbane, were obviously speaking tongue in cheek when they said to please sit as still as possible because movement and dancing distracts them! Lively Gypsy music combined with well controlled singing and good humour led to some adventurous dancing, given the abstract time signatures, which the band expressed real appreciation for, bearing in mind the heat at the time. A mix of tuba, banjo, sax, double bass etc made for a wide and enjoyable palate of sounds. Courageously dressed all in black, the Saltwater Band played some fine reggae-pop-rock. They are a good tight band that naturally inspire dancers, and featured various songs from their CD including Elcho Island Boys and Reggae Music. Nick Kreig from Port Lincoln could perhaps be compared to Jeff Lang with his musical style but proved to be his own man, with a strong voice and an occasional political bent to his music. He also combined self-deprecation with the "Drink plenty of liquids" message, mentioning that the more beer you drink, the better he sounds. No need, I suggest. Labjacd (Melbourne) were an intriguing mix of hip-hop with flamenco and salsa influences, complete with brass section. Theirs was a very effective combination of styles with excellent playing and plenty of energy and musicality. The rain on Sunday night, while welcome, did create some sound problems and for a while, it seemed the Briscoe Sisters might not be able to perform on the uncovered Moreton Bay stage. Luckily they went ahead and presented a very confident performance, though with some of the PA splutterings that plagued Jeff Lang the night before. Songs included Clean Your Shoes and Check It Out; I suspect the sisters and band made a number of new fans over the weekend. The final main act of the festival was reggae legend Jimmy Cliff. No matter how many decades he has been plying his trade, he still delivers his music with great energy, as does his 8-piece band. He received a big build up that he easily lived up to, with an enormous crowd highly appreciating the set. This included the ones you'd expect such as You Can Get It If You Really Want along with favourites such as Rub-A-Dub Partner and Wild World. Working the crowd seems to come easily to Cliff, and his show was an ideal end to the weekend's proceedings. It started boiling and uncomfortable, it finished cool and wet and yet the WOMAD spirit remained throughout: that's how tenacious it is. The added extras such as wandering dinosaurs, balloon gymnasts and the very amusing Avanti Display all play their part in creating a very special atmosphere. Let's just hope for more consistently moderate conditions next time.  |
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