Live Review: WOMADelaide 2015 - Day 2

WOMADelaide is a crowning jewel of Adelaide’s festival season.

There are many options to deliberate over within the same time frame as the Clipsal, Soundwave, Adelaide Festival and the Fringe Festival. In Mad March they all run relatively concurrently. Not everyone is inclined to spend all their bones – or their brain cells – by attending each one. This doesn’t stop WOMADelaide from being an absolute gem. People choose WOMAD as their festival time and time again and it is the sense of tradition that grows with each subsequent annual visit that adds to the appeal and ensures a vibrant and friendly community is a prime component of the festival. Boasting one of the most welcoming family friendly atmospheres, you can have as much fun at WOMAD at the age of 62 as you can at the age of four – keep in mind that you may see people of both demographics dancing in the same manner. The positivity is infectious and there is no pressure to be cool or fit into any kind of crowd.

The finely curated line-up attracts a diverse range of talent from all over the world, you know, WOMADelaide being the world festival and all. Walking from stage to stage you will find music that you have never heard before presented in ways you’ve never seen before. Through the gates, and past those iconic flags in the middle of the festival grounds, Tjintu Desert Band were raising the vibes early on. The five-piece hailing from Haasts Bluff/Ikunjti create an eclectic mixture of funk, rock, reggae and dub grooves. The genre is named desert reggae and it is extremely popular within remote Indigenous communities in Central Australia – and for good reason! Tjintu Desert Band are also intensely ethereal and spiritual. The soulful guitar playing projected through the clear blue sky to paint a wistful tapestry, with emotive noodling that will remind you of Parliament/Funkadelic. This was all too good when cruising over the top of reliable reggae drum beats and ultra mellow bass lines. With the vocalists performing in Luritja as well as English, the spectacle was moving and encapsulating.

Depedro is the solo project of multi-talented Spanish musician Jairo Zavala, previously of the bands Calexico, Vacazul and 3000 Hombres. With Zavala’s delicate voice delivering the most loved influences in music from Madrid, namely in the Latin-folk and flamenco genres, the result was a soothing and introspective aural delight on the toasty main stage. Breathing in the musical talent were families and friends alike, spreading out blankets and folding chairs to relax and enjoy their day. The Botanic Park becomes completely transformed around this time and it is a shame that the space is not used in this way all year ‘round, both by the people recreationally, and by the Adelaide council. Regular music would encourage and attract people to The Botanic all year ‘round, and it is such a great place to share joyful and exciting experiences. WOMADelaide could also benefit hugely from becoming a camping festival; it could cement its position as Adelaide’s very own Woodstock. With the amount of adventures that unfold, if you take away the time it takes to return home between days, the amount of fun to be had is unchartered territory.

Australian hip hop powerhouse Astronomy Class stormed Stage 2 at 3pm. The high-energy performance was an absolute tirade. With a focus on musicality and soul, the band, which includes essential live bass, had the audience bouncing deftly to their stories of Cambodian party times in Phnom Penh. The addition of Cambodian native Srey Channthy added extra dynamics to the already killer set. Her voice is phenomenal, full of range and expression. CW Stoneking later on supplied some bluesy country twang, providing a performance that was great to watch from a seated position, sending men and women alike into a state with that oh-so-smooth voice.

Balkan Beat Box tore up the party, sending the main stage into an absolute fiesta with their incredibly hard-to-pin-down sound. With an effortless command of the audience, encouraging them to lose their inhibitions was no difficult task for vocalist Tomar Yosef, who managed to continue running around like a mad man while doing so for the entire set. The Mediterranean saxophone sounds wrapped around electronic beats, whopping bass lines and guitar flares. It was almost indescribable to a Western consumer of music, accustomed to listening to different sounds when the exotic melodies and eastern rhythms are manifested in unimaginable ways. The energy was fundamentally high, the group pushing the boundaries of how to make a musical project unique and different, yet still inspire positivity.

Talented rapper and star of Brazil, Criolo, slayed Stage 2 at 9pm. The divine combination of intelligent lyricism, dynamite delivery and full live backing band accompaniment made for an ultimately satisfying and empowering experience. As a voice for the people of Brazil Criolo identifies socio-political problems in his music, yet still maintains a cutting edge and defining sound in his compositions. This is relative to modern hip hop on a global scale. The performance was a clear highlight.

Over at the ever moody and sensuous Speakers Corner Theo Parrish wound up the crowd with a fantastic set of garage, house and techno music. It’s this subtle but linear transformation from a cultural learning experience to full blown party that makes WOMADelaide so much fun. The relentless funk and bass spewed out into the spectacular dance party. With the majority of the children having left for home with their parents it was the adult patrons’ turn to have some unadulterated fun on the dance floor. Theo Parrish was a great way to end the night, though it’s a shame the festival could not have gone on into the early hours of the morning.