Arts Projects Australia. Botanic Park. Fri Mar 10 – Mon Mar 13
Well, it’s the final day of WOMADelaide for 2017, and although my feet have seen plenty of dancing hours clocked up, day four still has plenty to offer.
There are a whole load of bands putting on only one show for the whole weekend, many who are playing today, but my main focus is with some acts I’ve seen earlier in the proceedings, and whose performances are once again fantastic!
First up is a bit of Korean percussive fun with TAGO. As a quick aside, the name is particularly poignant for me, as a classic car restorer in my spare time, the nickname we use for fellow Valiant fanatics is TAVO – Tight-Arse-Valiant-Owners, and when I see TAGO, that’s all I can think of… thankfully, seeing them play live is quite a different experience.
I’ve long been a fan of Japanese taiko drumming, but had not come across the Korean variety before. It’s certainly in a similar vein to the Japanese, but has subtle differences too. Importantly, the show is about more than just the music, so sitting way back and letting the drum beats waft over you is not quite enough; you really have to engross yourself in the whole audio/visual experience.
The drummers put on a theatrical show that’s every bit as dramatically impressive as their musical prowess. This style of drumming is as much about the way the drums are hit and the interplay between the characters as it is about the rhythms themselves. And it’s amazing to watch! There’s a comical aspect to it all, with an almost slapstick style to it, particularly as the guys run around the stage, dancing around their drums, and never once miss a beat. It’s an amazing spectacle to behold.
It goes beyond drums too, as the guys came out with gongs and symbols, and more importantly, fancy costumes to further enhance the visual aspects. There is a guy with a flower on his head that would open and close depending on how he nodded his head, and a bunch of guys with ribbons attached to sticks, also stuck on their heads. You know in the Olympics, where they gymnasts play around twirling ribbons (yeah, I don’t know how that’s classified as a sport either), well, this is kind of like that, but coupled with heavy-metal style head-banging, thumping rhythms, and smashing cymbals!
There is so much happening on stage and so much to watch and hear that it’s like seeing a theatre drama, a comedy, and a music performance all in one go! Brilliant stuff!
For an complete change of pace, I travel from Korea to Australia-Samoa-Jamaica for Natalii Rize, aka Natalie Pa’apa’a of Blue King Brown fame, who has brought her own unique solo show to the fore. She’s obviously overflowing with musical creativity during the downtime of her BKB band mates, and is happy to share that vibe with a willing audience. Natalii’s music is in the same vein as that we’ve come to love from Blue King Brown, but as a solo artist, she takes a slightly harder edge and a bit more dancehall influences add to the roots reggae sound.
She’s pretty politically motivated, which has always formed an important part of reggae, and while I regard myself as a political cynic these days (and thus found some things a little preachy – it seems odd to convey an anti-Babylon, anti-capitalist and anti-money message at a festival where people are paying nigh on half-a-grand to attend and pay more than what some people earn a month for a glass of beer, but like I said, I’m a pretty big cynic!), the message is there and is an important part of what Natalii does. The passion she has is clearly conveyed through the passion of her music. Despite my cynicism, the call for a change is there, and I only hope the cries in agreement from the crowd are more than hollow calls made in the moment from positions of privilege (and let’s face it, privilege is where most WOMAD people come from, which for me, coming from a working-class-immigrant-background-come-good-with-a-PhD, is very clear).
The roots grooves underpin the whole musical experience, with electronic influences giving a bit of a dub edge, and Natalii’s dancehall style vocals make the music sound familiar on many different levels. The messages, despite any irony or cynicism are strong and powerful ones, and even if it’s implemented in some small way then Natalii and her music have done their job. The blend of styles and grooving vocals make the whole thing very easy to get into! Natalii also gets back to her own musical roots, jamming it out on the djembe for a tune or two, which was great to see! Definitely very cool stuff from a very talented lady!
Just as talented is Colombian band La Mambanegra. These guys are a Latin American powerhouse, playing an infectious brand of highly danceable tunes. While the music itself isn’t traditional Colombian, it does mix in lots of Latin styles, erring heavily on cha and son, with an occasional cumbia for good measure. Most people would simply recognise it as salsa music (which is actually not music, but a dance… yet I digress!), and thus the dance element is an obvious and important component. I’ve spent quite a bit of time in Colombia (a truly beautiful country, and very under-travelled despite improvements on the political and safety front – I definitely recommend checking it out if you get a chance), and this style of music, while not strictly traditional, is by far the most popular over there, and you find it everywhere in Colombian culture. Hearing this therefore takes me right back to eating coconut-curried fish and sipping Club Colombias or mojitos on the beaches of Colombia! Needless to say, La Mambanegra are on top of their game, and are a very tight band, well representing their nation. Even seeing the variation in the members (including black, white and in between – just be careful not to assume any races with a Colombian, as who they identify as may surprise you!) harkens to the amazing and varied culture of Colombia. These guys are definitely a highlight of the festival for me.
And with that, my WOMADelaide experience concludes for 2017. It’s been another great year, with lots of great memories. The crowd is interestingly mixed, though thankfully less pushy-and-shovey than the last few years. There’s still an air of privilege among patrons, and a few too many I’m-a-hippie-but-only-during-WOMAD types for my liking (kind of like fair-weather sports supporters), but nonetheless, the festival still continues as one of the best on offer, and I’m glad I’ve been a part of it.
Now, for 2018…
Luke Balzan
When: 10 to 13 Mar
Where: Botanic Park
Bookings: Closed
Arts Projects Australia. Botanic Park. Fri Mar 10 – Mon Mar 13
For WOMADelaide day three, the weather decided to put on a show of its own, but even cloudy skies and rain couldn’t put a damper on the musical goodness on offer!
My day begins with a bit of East African music from Ethiopian-origin Melbourne band Nhatty Man & Gara, which set a precedent for my day swinging between African and American music.
A light spattering of rain has given way to a bit of sunshine, and the brightness complemented the music beautifully! Nhatty Man put his band together in Melbourne, after being a successful muso in his native Ethiopia, and together with his crew, who themselves are a multicultural bunch, produces a sound that is immediately and distinctly Ethiopian; but is also so much more.
I’m a big fan of the jazzy, bluesy Ethiopian style of music made famous by the Ethiopiques series, and there was plenty of that in Nhatty Man’s set to enjoy. The dark, rolling grooves are a perfect backdrop to the sultry weather, and I find myself being carried away by the entrancing tunes. Add to that elements of reggae, dub, and more western styled jazz, and you’ve got yourselves an act to behold.
Nhatty Man gets the crowd well-activated, teaching us a few Ethiopian style dance moves, and generating some good enthusiasm. I do get the impression he isn’t feeling the vibe from the full crowd, as it seems like hard work to keep everyone together. Maybe the weather is wreaking its own havoc on the crowd’s enthusiasm, but thankfully in my part of the audience, way down at the front, the energy is electric!
From Africa to America, I journey back to New Orleans for more Hot 8 Brass Band goodness. In general, I don’t review stuff I’ve already seen at the same festival, but for the Hot 8, I’ll make an exception! They are the main draw-card for me at WOMADelaide this year, so I only think it’s fair I air their excellence once again! This set is just as hot as their Friday night viewing, but unfortunately, the weather isn’t so good this time around. The rain starts up, and is unrelenting, getting heavier as the gig wears on.
With a sea of plastic ponchos and umbrellas swelling around me (who brings a brolly to a festival anyway!?), I decide to spare my clothes from wetness and my eyes from being poked by umbrella skeletons, and make for the nearest tree. Using God’s umbrella, I still have a great view and still get the same kicks out of the show (yes, I was the only dude dancing under the tree to stage left, but what the heck!).
The band plays on, and the plastic-coated crowd continue to lap it up. The sizeable group sharing my natural cover are also digging the vibe, and the energy is obviously enough to push those clouds away, because after a few minutes, the rain stops and I am back dancing down the front!
The band’s set is fairly similar to Friday’s, playing covers of Papa Was A Rolling Stone, Waiting In Vain, and Sexual Healing again, along with their original tunes. Sadly, my favourite tune from the band’s last album Tombstone, a rollicking Milwaukee Fat, was absent, but there is plenty still to enjoy! These guys really are sensational!
At the end, it turns out that due to a time-slip in the schedule, they have a few minutes extra, so come back with an encore covering The Specials’ Ghost Town, which is a pretty damn cool way to end their WOMADelaide contribution in 2017!
Staying within America, but heading way down south, it was onto Chile next for the charismatic Ana Tijoux. She’s made her name as a hip hop songstress, with a social-political message, but accompanied by horns, guitars and drums, there is a lot more to this than straight-up top-40-esque hip hop.
The live band gives an air of rootsiness to the music, and Ana swings between elements of dancehall, reggae, Latin jazz, and funk, bringing so much more to the sound. I can feel my feet getting tired, but Ana’s music is infectious enough to keep the vibe happening despite any dance-fatigue! The music is rich and the lyrics powerful (I figure understanding the more speaky vocal style of hip hop would be easier, but the rapid fire delivery still makes it tricky… puedo a ver necesito mucho mas practica con mi español!).
While I only understand about 60%, it is still great fun. In fact, with Ana being dark and pint sized, she reminds me of my wife, who shares those characteristics, making it odd to see her speaking better Spanish than me! Despite her small physical size, Ana Tijoux is a musical giant. Her sound, and powerful vocals, ring loud and clear for all to not only hear, but also to feel. It is a very cool set!
It’s back to Africa again, and I get to practice my Spanish some more, thanks to Spanish-speaking West Saharan songstress Aziza Brahim. Located south of Morocco, Western Sahara is a conflicted nation, but there is no sense of conflict within the band, which contains members from Western Sahara, Senegal and Spain, mixing a bunch of styles together beautifully and reflecting the complex landscape of Aziza’s homeland.
The music has a dark undercurrent, obviously resonating with the nation’s struggles, and no doubt Aziza’s own, but also has a feeling of hope for the future, and Aziza does a great job conveying that message of a brighter future, dedicating tunes to the struggles and to refugees. She not only rings out in beautiful vocal tone, but also plays a hand drum and, joined by a drum kit and an African drum set (consisting of a couple of kplango drums, a djembe, and even a talking drum!) makes a very percussive sound throughout. Spanish classical guitar adds a unique softer element to the music, and the whole thing is very impressive. The music is a blend of traditional and western styles, underpinned by the desert blues of that region of Africa, we grooved along with a backdrop of afternoon fading to evening (and about a million bats inhabiting the Speakers Corner area!).
From Africa, it is back to America again to round out the day with a bit of Brazilian bossa nova. Bebel Gilberto is a giant of bossa nova, and has a pedigree to match. The daughter of bossa nova legend Joaõ Gilberto, Bebel has gone on to win Grammy awards and people’s hearts with her gentle touch on the Brazilian style. She’s a master of the craft; the jazzy tones float across the crowd perfectly accompanied by Bebel’s angelic voice.
I’ve been listening to Bebel for many years now, first coming across her and getting into bossa nova while I was still at uni, and it became my winter’s morning accompaniment to studying all those years ago. It is great to experience it in the flesh, and after a busy WOMADelaide with plenty of dancing, a nice way to relax into the evening. The show is seated, which is unusual for a stage one act, but fitting for this style of music. The only issue being because of all the rain, the ground isn’t very conducive or inviting for sitting, especially for me with no plastic to sit on! I decide to keep my pants dry and I watch from the back, letting the music carry me away… the perfect way to end the day!
Luke Balzan
When: 10 to 13 Mar
Where: Botanic Park
Bookings: womadelaide.com.au
Arts Projects Australia. Botanic Park. Fri Mar 10 – Mon Mar 13
After a good night’s rest, the world music fun continues! Saturday hosts a huge range and variety of acts from around the world, and finds me dancing and grooving away well into the night. More on that later…
A standout from today included multi-country act Sinkane.
Hailing from Sudan originally, Sinkane (aka Ahmed Gallab) are now based in Brooklyn, New York, and their music is an interesting mix of Africa and America. The overall vibe is one of soul and blues, but the guitar lines, grooves and chord structures all have elements of East Africa running throughout.
As a big fan of East African music (especially Ethiopian stuff), the underlying African sounds really come to the fore for me, and enhance the otherwise western sounds. It is an interesting mix, as normally western music has a lot of its roots in West African sounds, but hearing the East African elements in this brand of soul is quite refreshing!
From Africa and America, I travel to the Orient for something pretty special. Turkey’s BaBa ZuLa play on the intimate Zoo stage, and have the fortune of a 90-minute set time meaning not only am I lucky enough to catch these guys up close and personal, but we also score a bonus half-hour of music!
Describing BaBa ZuLa is not so easy! They’re a mix of so many different things, combined in a way that is truly unique. The band consists of a percussionist on normal acoustic drums (mainly a brilliant darbuka), a percussionist playing some cymbals, a floor tom and a DJ desk, a percussionist playing an electronic drum pad, a guy playing an electric oud, a guy playing a saz (another Turkish lute), and a female singer. They blend traditional Turkish sounds (think more Eastern than Balkan), elements of dub reggae, psychedelia, and even hard rock, making a sound that really does have something for everyone! I find myself bobbing along to mellow grooves, swaying to Eastern melodies, and rocking out to oud and saz metal! It’s very cool! Add to the mix an eclectic looking bunch, complete with frizzy hair, funky pom-pommed beanies, and the maddest Chopper-esque facial hair, and you know you’re in for a bit of fun.
At one point, the saz player decides to move into the crowd, and does so by walking on a couple of chairs. After stepping out onto them he got the crowd to move the first chair around and continue the path away from the stage; I’m pleased to say I was one of the dudes helping him along!
These guys are a lot of fun, and it is a blast dancing down the front. It all has to come to an end eventually, but I’m sure BaBa ZuLa would have continued well beyond their allocated time if they had the chance!
After such an awesome act, it’s hard to imagine anything that could top it. But the next group does… and they are fellow Mediterranean’s no less!
Serbia’s Emir Kusturica & The No Smoking Orchestra take to the main stage to round out Saturday night, and boy, do they put on a spectacular show! A Serbian work colleague of mine pops his WOMADelaide cherry to see these guys and it is great fun hanging out with his Serbian crew while these guys completely shake the festival to its core!
Again it is a mix of so many different things, Balkan folk sounds underpin the music throughout, with elements of jazz, blues, rock and more peppered in between for good measure. A huge act with an even bigger stage presence, the ten piece band grows to include a whole host of extras when Emir and his guys coax ‘dancers’ from the VIP section side stage to join them for a number or two (I use the term dancers loosely, but at least they all looked like they were having fun!).
Emir is a giant in his home country, and has a sizable audience around the world, particularly in Latin America, where his ode to cerveza obviously has a certain resonance. They play a tune about Romeo and Juliet, where a “Juliet” is also summoned from the VIP section, and being partly in English, this tune gets everyone singing along! For the rest of it, where singing is reserved for the sizable Serbian contingent in the crowd, dancing was order of the day, and with infectious Balkan rhythms driving the music along, it is impossible not to groove along and jump around!
There are interesting stories - interludes from a variety of places (the Pink Panther theme kept cropping up between songs!) - and tunes from Emir’s movie career, which is equally as prestigious as his musical one (check him out on IMDB!). Perhaps a highlight came in the form of the fiddle “duel” fought by Mr Heineken on violin and Emir himself, where the bow is placed in various precarious locations, including in Emir’s pants, while a perfect bit of fiddling was still had. It all culminates in a fiddle and guitar duel on a giant bow held up by some eager volunteers! It is a brilliant set, and being the final act of the night, allowed to run to a full 90 minutes too.
A seriously good way to end the day!
Luke Balzan
When: 10 to 13 Mar
Where: Botanic Park
Bookings: womadelaide.com.au
Arts Projects Australia. Botanic Park. Fri Mar 10 – Mon Mar 13
There's nothing quite as daunting for a music journo than to begin writing a review of a WOMADelaide festival. With the event having grown into a juggernaut now spanning four days and hosting more artists than ever (both changes having good and bad aspects from a WOMAD veteran's perspective), it's difficult to know where to begin, even for me, who's attended the festival for half of its 25-year lifespan; which means I've been to well over half, since it was initially a bi-annual event.
With that in mind, I'll start somewhere entirely unexpected: Detroit Michigan, U.S.A! An odd place, yes, but I start there because, last year, I was lucky enough to stumble across the Detroit Jazz Festival while visiting the beautiful and underrated city as part of a motoring mecca pilgrimage of a classic motoring enthusiast. In many ways, the experience reminded me of my first forays into WOMADelaide: I didn't really know any bands that were there; I had an extensive interest in the music that would be on offer; and I became completely immersed in the event. Detroit Jazz Festival is like WOMAD on steroids – there is a bunch of stages spread across the city, participation of more food trucks than you can imagine, contributions from local businesses all around, and best of all, it is all free, so the patronage is through the roof (if there had been a roof - it's an open air affair!).
It is great fun to hang out with all those African American jazz aficionados and others grooving the nights away and definitely a grand experience that really took me back…
The highlight of the Jazz Festival for me was a New Orleans band called The Soul Rebels. Eight members strong, with all brass and percussion, they had an unbelievable urban sound that brought together culture and music from across the ages... it was definitely a blast, and the perfect segue into this years' WOMADelaide highlight for me, The Hot 8 Brass Band.
Also hailing from New Orleans, I was lucky enough to see these guys last time they were at WOMADelaide, and I was blown away. Needless to say, I've been hanging out to see them again, and they were my main motivation for attending this year.
They do not disappoint!
Kicking of early with these guys on Friday is truly brilliant. They play a bunch of tunes from their 20-year history, plus a few covers and interludes into other tunes too, and bring some real American culture to Adelaide. Of course, jazz is at the heart of what they do – a truly American art form – and these guys allow it to be fully expressed as they improvise and interweave solos with each other, building on each other’s vibe and that of the crowd.
But the Hot 8 isn’t just about jazz. There’s blues, African, soul and hip hop all thrown in for good measure. There are some great call-and-response moments, and some pretty good crowd participation too. Tunes like What’s My Name (Rock With The Hot 8) and Take It To The House, the latter from the band’s latest long player Tombstone, went down well (and lasted a good ten minutes each!). While covers of The Wailers’ Waiting In Vain, the Temptations’ Papa Was A Rolling Stone and Marvin Gaye’s Sexual Healing each produce the expected level of crowd satisfaction!
To round things off, the band comes out into the crowd for the last tune, instruments in tow, and goes all acoustic in the round! It is truly fantastic stuff, reminiscent of Ozomatli sambaing through the crowd way back at my first WOMADelaide.
It’s great to see this sort of thing still happening; it restores one’s faith in music. The Hot 8 Brass Band are brilliant, and I plan to try catching them again on Sunday.
For something completely different, I wander down to stage 3 to catch Argentinean band, Orquesta Tipica Fernández Fierro. I’ve spent quite a bit of time in Argentina, and tasted plenty of local culture, including folkloric and traditional music. I’ve taken quite a shine to what the country offers.
Fernández Fierro are a massive 12-piece act who essentially play tango music, with a folkloric wistfulness. Argentinean music, much like its people, is passionate and emotive with a massive emotional flair that really tugs at the heart-strings. The Orquesta manage to capture all of that emotion and bottle it into a brilliant set. My Spanish is not too bad (Argentinean Spanish is hard to understand and singing makes it harder as you lose context and intonation) but some of the lyrical content was quite dark and almost depressive, with the singer pouring her soul into every word! Couple that with sharply staccato music that creates a sense of urgency and pain, and you have the makings of a great show.
The Orquesta consists mainly of violins (and a cello and bass) and accordions creating a sound that’s relatively unique in Australia, and enhancing the whole experience. On top of that, there is an excess of dry ice to heighten the atmosphere. This coupled with band members who could easily pass as heavy metal dudes and the set is very impressive indeed. It’s a shame the folks behind me wanted to chat so loudly, that is, until I asked them to be quiet!
From the heart of Argentina to the desert plains of Africa, my Friday is rounded out by the bluesy grooves of Malian musical queen Oumou Sangaré and her fine band. Malian music is a big part of any WOMADelaide line-up, and with a rich musical heritage to draw from it makes sense to showcase the West African sounds regularly.
Malian music is often described as ‘desert blues’, and it’s a fair description. The West African sounds, including those from Mali, form the basis of today’s blues and rock music. The Africans brought their musical culture with them to America during the times of the slave trade, and listening to the traditional sounds always provides an interesting allegory and comparison.
Things have come full circle too, with western instruments like guitars, bass, and keys featuring in many modern Malian acts. Oumou Sangaré is no exception and, joined by a kora player and some singers and dancers, the whole spectacle is something to behold. The music drones on, almost lulling you into a musical trance, and one can’t help but groove along. Oumou’s amazing, powerful voice cuts through it all, bringing a stark focus to the otherwise trance-inducing grooves.
Though I have visited Africa many times, West Africa remains absent from my list; despite not physically travelling there, listening to music like this takes me there spiritually.
So rounds out the first day of WOMADelaide for 2017. There’s plenty more in store throughout the weekend so stay tuned! To be continued…!
Luke Balzan
When: 10 to 13 Mar
Where: Botanic Park
Bookings: womadelaide.com.au
Adelaide Symphony Orchestra in association with the Adelaide Festival Centre. Adelaide Festival Theatre. 16 Feb 2017
Tonight’s concert was a well-received salute to the career of the legendary David Bowie, who sadly died just over a year ago from cancer. To say that he was controversial and an innovator is an understatement. His music was distinctive, and it soars when it is seen, as well as heard – the visuals are all important.
Above the mighty assembled forces of the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra was a giant lightning bolt, the sort that was emblazoned over the face of Ziggy Stardust. The myriad number of LEDs built into it became an ever-changing kaleidoscope of colors and became a focal point for the performance. It almost smacked of iconography. (Is there a symbol that encapsulates Bowie?). In front of the orchestra was a six-piece band: drum kit, grand piano – always impressive to look at, but wasted on this occasion – assorted guitars and hand-held percussion. Five vocalists stood in front of them all, mostly costumed in ways to help ‘sell’ the songs they sang. The stage was full, and the stimulating iridescent lighting plot was empathetic to the music. The visuals were impressive, but the vocals did not always soar to the same heights.
Bowie is singular and his various musical personas are idiosyncratic. To bring them to life without becoming cheesy and (dangerously) stumbling into trying to ape his style, needs the performer to bring something special and more than pub-singing to the challenge.
iOTA was first up with Space Oddity, and he was superb. He looked the part and inflected the piece with the requisite mix of angst and derision; the sound mixing wasn’t quite up to the mark however. His depth of understanding of the songs was a highlight of the evening, as was his theatricality, his musicality and the sheer force of his fine voice. Everything he sang demanded to be watched and listened to intently. His Ashes to Ashes was touching, and the carefully constructed sparseness of his Life on Mars was something Bowie himself would have approved of. The musical arrangement was ‘just right’ and the might of the orchestra did not get in the way as it did in some other pieces.
iOTA was the standout, but Deborah Conway also helped carry the success of the concert. Conway’s husky performances of Ziggy Stardust and Oh You Pretty Things were also highlights. Tim Rogers at times looked as if he was channeling Elvis, and his performance strengthened and became more stylised as the programme unfolded. His rendition of Lazarus was captivating. Adalita was a foil for iOTA, Conway and Rogers. She injected ‘coolness’, but it just wasn’t Bowie. However, her duets and trios were well received by the large audience, in particular Suffragette City and Fame. Steve Kilbey was vocally lack-lustre throughout the evening, but Changes and China Girl were well handled.
The concert was named after the album Nothing Has Changed, which is a compilation album by David Bowie. It was released in November 2014 and is the first album to showcase Bowie's entire career, and it included previously unreleased material. The album peaked at number 5 on the UK charts following Bowie's death in early 2016 and a revised version was released in November of the same year.
If they could have physically handled it, the performance of the play list would have been more impressive if it was just sung by iOTA, Conway and Rogers.
The very large audience just adored this concert, and it is a testimony to the genius of Bowie that mature ladies in their 70s enjoyed the concert as much as those who were in their 30s!
Thank you ASO.
Thank you band.
Thank you singers.
But most of all, thank you David Bowie.
Kym Clayton
When: 16 and 17 Feb
Where: Festival Theatre
Bookings: Closed