[WORLD MUSIC/Contemporary/Dance ~ AUS/INT]

Botanic Park/Tainmuntilla, Fri 11 Mar.

Back to its old self (give or take a few COVID concessions) WOMADelaide is, as always, one of the more exciting events this lovely city gets to host. As usual it’s way too hot, and some of the most exciting acts require you to risk death by heat stroke in order to get a good view of what they are actually doing up on the stage, but you hardly care because they’re just so good.

On my Saturday afternoon stroll through the festival, I had a chance to listen (and dance) to some excellent South American Jazz Funk Fusion in the form of Azymuth and Marcos Valle, the extremely energetic Indigenous rapper Baker Boy accompanied by an all-star band, the beautiful voice of Guatemalan musician Gaby Moreno, before catching the stripped back but utterly entrancing set by Valanga Khozo, my personal highlight of the day. And all that in the space of four hours!

A.B. Original on Stage 2 draw lots of attention. Biggs and his offsider, Trials, invited a few friends to join them on stage. Thelma Plum’s song is a gem and Courtney Barnett’s backing vocals on Paul Kelly’s Dumb Things is just fabulous.

The Melbourne Ska Orchestra are a big band (a huge brass section for a start) and they are out to entertain – a sax player flat on his back for a solo and other hijinks and infectious fun.  Some great songs but a bit too much extended audience participation schtick for me, and anyway I’m curious about Lulac on Zoo Stage too. The two part harmony by Zoe Randall and Steve Hassett and the low-fi ‘rootsy’ feel of their set is a sharp contrast to the high energy electric pop of Haiku Hands that follows on Stage 3. A lovely moment when Parvyn joins them on stage for a song, but otherwise these four young women kept pumping out the vocals and dance moves that had the audience in thrall.

Courtney Barnett rounded out the night with a stunning concert performance. Loud but relaxed, deadpan vocals and droll lyrics, a more elegant form of the grunge we have come to know. Her stripped back authentic approach – you just get the songs, no histrionics – was a delightful way to end the day.

It’s more live music (and extremely good live music at that) in one day then I am usually exposed to in a month. It’s a constantly exciting, exhausting, rewarding time at WOMAD, running all around the gorgeous scenery of Botanic Park, trying to soak in as much of the festival as you can – though it is of course just as valid an option to plant yourself on a nice picnic rug and take in the sights and sounds from a more static, relaxed location. But if you choose to give yourself over to the madcap cultural tasting platter of the place and reap the spoils of everything that is on offer – not just music, but delicious food, communal workshops, as well as enlightening talks by a whole host of speakers – you will find yourself wanting for very little, save perhaps a shower when you get home to get rid of all the dust.

5 stars

Daniel Tune and Cathy Tune

WOMADelaide continues at Botanic Park/Tainmuntilla from 1030am until Mon 14 Mar.

Book at WOMADelaide.com.au. Click HERE to purchase your tickets.

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[WORLD MUSIC/Contemporary/Dance ~ AUS/INT] Botanic Park/Tainmuntilla, Fri 11 Mar. Back to its old self (give or take a few COVID concessions) WOMADelaide is, as always, one of the more exciting events this lovely city gets to host. As usual it’s way too hot, and some of the most exciting acts require you to risk death by heat stroke in order to get a good view of what they are actually doing up on the stage, but you hardly care because they’re just so good. On my Saturday afternoon stroll through the festival, I had a chance to listen (and dance) to some excellent South American Jazz Funk Fusion in the form of Azymuth and Marcos Valle, the extremely energetic Indigenous rapper Baker Boy accompanied by an all-star band, the beautiful voice of Guatemalan musician Gaby Moreno, before catching the stripped back but utterly entrancing set by Valanga Khozo, my personal highlight of the day. And all that in the space of four hours! A.B. Original on Stage 2 draw lots of attention. Biggs and his offsider, Trials, invited a few friends to join them on stage. Thelma Plum’s song is a gem and Courtney Barnett’s backing vocals on Paul Kelly’s Dumb Things is just fabulous. The Melbourne Ska Orchestra are a big band (a huge brass section for a start) and they are out to entertain – a sax player flat on his back for a solo and other hijinks and infectious fun.  Some great songs but a bit too much extended audience participation schtick for me, and anyway I’m curious about Lulac on Zoo Stage too. The two part harmony by Zoe Randall and Steve Hassett and the low-fi ‘rootsy’ feel of their set is a sharp contrast to the high energy electric pop of Haiku Hands that follows on Stage 3. A lovely moment when Parvyn joins them on stage for a song, but otherwise these four young women kept pumping out the vocals and dance moves that had the audience in thrall. Courtney Barnett rounded out the night with a stunning concert performance. Loud but relaxed, deadpan vocals and droll lyrics, a more elegant form of the grunge we have come to know. Her stripped back authentic approach – you just get the songs, no histrionics – was a delightful way to end the day. It’s more live music (and extremely good live music at that) in one day then I am usually exposed to in a month. It’s a constantly exciting, exhausting, rewarding time at WOMAD, running all around the gorgeous scenery of Botanic Park, trying to soak in as much of the festival as you can - though it is of course just as valid an option to plant yourself on a nice picnic rug and take in the sights and sounds from a more static, relaxed location. But if you choose to give yourself over to the madcap cultural tasting platter of the place and reap the spoils of everything that is on offer…

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Daniel Tune

Always so much to see and experience

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