WOMAD 2008

United Kingdom | | 30 July 2008

More than 25 years since Peter Gabriel launched the festival at Shepton Mallet, near to Glastonbury Festival, thousands of children and their young-at-heart parents descend on its newer home, the beautiful Charlton Park in Wiltshire, to experience a weekend with a difference.

But it’s not just about the children. Featuring 70 artists from every corner of the globe, there surely can be no better place to see reggae legends sharing a stage with exiled Tibetan monks, and US disco divas rubbing shoulders with a French ska band. That diverseness sums up the whole ethos behind WOMAD. 

Arriving on Thursday to temperatures approaching the 100 degree mark, you can almost hear the deep sighs of relief from the organisers. Last year’s event was hit so hard by the weather that it was renamed ‘WOMUD’ by some punters, putting a large dampener on the first event held in Wiltshire after the move from their previous site in Reading.

Thankfully, there’s no such problems for this year and the only worry is getting to the impressive Siam stage to witness the arrival of the legendary Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry. In true Jamaican style, the man who produced some of Bob Marley’s most famous hits is running late, so it’s left to prodigious UK producer Adrian Sherwood to entertain. He doesn’t disappointment and the arrival of Perry is greeted with much enthusiasm, a fact which clearly excites the 72-year-old. Cavorting about the stage like a teenager, he reels off the classics like ‘Return Of Django’ and 'I Am The Upsetter’ before ending the set with his version of ‘Exodus’.

It’s a tough task to follow up a night like that but the Tashi Lhunbo Monks from Tibet via India kick off proceedings on the Main Stage to a curious crowd. They’re followed by the funky Rumberos de Cuba in the Siam tent for some Latin flavours, before the band decamp to the Dance tent for a lesson in how to rumba properly. Another of the artists to host one of the numerous workshops on offer is Nathan ‘Flutebox’ Lee, an artist who makes the likes of Rahzel and Killa Kela look seriously one-dimensional.

The evening begins in true disco style with the appearance of Chic on the Main Stage, with producer Nile Rodgers joining the band on stage for an hour of funky classics. Kicking things off with ‘Everybody Dance’ seems like a good idea and that’s how it continues with a string of classics including ‘I Want Your Love’ and ‘Good Times’. They round things off predictably with their signature tune ‘Le Freak’ that leaves everyone looking for the next place to boogie.

And there’s plenty on offer – we plump for a slice of Algerian oud-player Mehdi Haddab’s latest venture Speed Caravan but not before Shane MacGowan stars in a special Irish knees up with the Sharon Shannon Big Band. The night ends with some acoustic pleasures from Malian guitarists Terakaft – a delight to behold.

Saturday sees a return to searing temperatures after the relative coolness of the previous day. An unexpected appearance from the Red Arrows follows the ska-enthused efforts of French band Babylon Circus on the main stage but it’s time to get out of the heat for a while and the fabulous ‘World of Wellbeing’ is the perfect site. Featuring tea tents, massage stalls and numerous other distractions, it would be easy to relax here all weekend.

Suitably refreshed, it’s back to the music and it keeps on coming – Mavis Staples, Finlay Quaye and the high-tempo beats of Reprazent, which generates a frenzied atmosphere inside the Siam tent. Later on, it’s all about the Cambodian rock with LA’s Dengue Fever, before Eddy Grant and his Electric Orchestra take centre stage. Drum and bass is back on the agenda for the Little Sicily tent with TC and Marky, while it’s Jah Wobble and his Chinese Dub project on the BBC Radio 3 stage. Phew! It’s enough to keep you partying until the early hours. And that’s what happens.

Emerging late on Sunday, we venture to the Little Sicily tent again to see Pakistani legend Asif Ali Khan and his meditative sounds are soothing to the soul – and the head! Squeeze are the day’s big headliners and we get into position early to see the '80s legends. ‘Cool for Cats’ goes down especially well but it’s their later hit ‘Labelled With Love’ that brings down the house.  Afterwards, the WOMAD procession gives everyone a chance to show off their costumes and come together before the final night and it’s great to see people of all ages dressed to the nines with weird and wonderful designs.

The Gala Performance sees some of the stars of the weekend come together for a unique collaboration that has Bill Cobham as musical director and ngoni player Bassekou Kouyate as main soloist. It’s an awesome experience to hear the mixture of so many styles of music create something truly special. Sunday ends with the jazz-enthused hip hop of Nigeria’s Seun Kuti and Egypt 80 – a suitably chilled way to end a weekend of new musical experiences from every corner of the globe.

by Ed Aarons