Arts Projects Australia. Botanic Park. 8 Mar 2015
After the madness of yesterday’s dance-fest at WOMADelaide, I am satisfied with my night’s sleep and arrive at Botanic Park early, to soak in as much atmosphere as possible! Accompanied by my main lady, I enjoy a sip of Holy Cow chai before the music begins, relaxing in the morning ambiance.
With the chai putting me in a good mood, I head out to see the World Percussion Discussion, over by the main stage. Two drumming corps filling the ranks of the workshop, a few different drum corps techniques are played, from marching band to Cajun to Brazilian rhythms. The massive drum sounds fill Botanic Park, and soon a healthy crowd is gathered around. It’s at this point I catch a sniff of Taste The World, where Israel-US act Balkan Beat Box have taken over the stove. And it’s madness in the kitchen, with one of the funniest presentations of a traditional recipe I’ve ever seen! As they cook they threaten a food fight, decide to empty a whole packet of paprika into the dish, and even pose for selfies under the stove-top camera! The antics are wild, and the cooking smells sensational! The dish, traditional to Yemen, Israel, and the Middle East is also similar to one from my own Maltese heritage, which makes the ordeal even more awesome! Balkan Beat Box shows that they’re not only masters of the stage, but also of the kitchen!
I grab a bite of lunch before heading to stage two for the Malawi Mouse Boys, a group of guys (from Malawi, obviously) who’ve re-envisioned gospel music with a pure African flavour. These guys are awesome, and the sizable crowd obviously thinks so too. Despite a fair whack of hot sunshine, the band wows everyone with their smooth vocals, and minimalist guitars and vox only stage set. One of the guys even jumps into the crowd and sings while wandering about! Very cool stuff.
From Africa, it’s over to Jamaica on stage one, with Melbourne’s Mista Savona, joined by special Jamaican guests Prince Alla and Randy Valentine. The two Jamaican guests represent two sides of Jamaican reggae music: old school from Prince Alla, who wows the crowd with his stage prowess (and an awesome big dreadlock hat!), and new school from Randy Valentine, who spends most of his time in London these days. The new and the old fuse together seamlessly with Jake Savona’s brilliant band, and under his musical direction, bringing a new sense of reggae music to the masses. Despite the heat, I can’t help but dance, and everyone else around me is clearly feeling the same.
After dancing in the sun, it’s time to take things down a notch. Legendary Toumani Diabate and his son Sidiki have me soaring to new heights on stage two. Toumani is a master of the 21-stringed Malian kora instrument, and his son is clearly following in his dad’s footsteps; himself a formidable kora player. These guys are true masters of their craft, and their mastery of the kora allows the listener to lay back and be taken on a musical journey across both time and space. I love a bit of kora, and it doesn’t get much finer than this!
Feeling relaxed after the kora session, I head back to stage one to get my dancing vibe on once again, this time with Fanfare Ciocarlia, from Romania. With a huge array of horns, including no less than four tubas, plus some drums, these guys have a truly enormous sound that amply fills the park. As the thumping tuba bass lines ring out, with soaring trumpet and sax over the top, you can’t help but feel yourself start to dance! The world slips away and suddenly you’re lost in the Roma party land that is Fanfare Ciocarlia; nothing else seems to matter. The rhythms are madly infectious and the energy levels keep on climbing as these guys power through their set. Brilliant stuff indeed!
It doesn’t let up there either, as Spain’s Argentina- and Colombia-membered Che Sudaka take to stage two, taking things up a notch further! With a sound reminiscent of Manu Chao’s Radio Bemba, and all the craziness you might expect from them, Che Sudaka has the energy turned all the way up to 11! It’s madness from start to finish, with reggae and ska beats mixed with Colombian folkloric cumbia, Argentinean folk sounds, and even sounds that remind me of forro street parties I’ve been to in Brazil. Throw in some crazy guitars, zany accordion, awesome beats, plenty of punk attitude and two sensational singers (one who reminds me of Manu Chao, the other of myself!) and this show is really taking things to the next level!
I guess my only complaint at this point in the day (apart from sore dancing feet) is all the chalk and paint covered punters, who seem blissfully ignorant of their dirty influence on everyone else. I’m fine if people want to cover themselves in coloured dust and mud and the like, but since it isn’t exactly my idea of fun, I want to wear someone else’s sweat-infested coloured dirt even less! My WOMAD clothes are generally selections I’ve collected from all around the world, and I want to keep them in pretty good nick (today’s outfit is brought to you by Colombia!). It seems a nice concept, and it even looks pretty cool, but I’m not sure these colour parades are a good idea. Bring back the samba parade, or at least spray everyone who likes rolling around in muck and dirt at the end, and leave those of us who prefer to remain colourless, clean.
Anyway, with my rant now over and my belly full from a tasty dinner, I’m on my way to Taste The World again for a few African delights courtesy of Jupiter Bokondji and his band Okwess International. Of course, they play a bunch of tunes throughout, and their food is a tasty dessert for me too!
Back over at stage three for another taste of Spain’s Depedro, he is pouring his heart into the show and delivering what is one of the standout performances of WOMADelaide 2015, so far. Definitely buying his album after the show! With only three people on stage, the sound is very full indeed, and frontman Jairo Zavala is showing his ample prowess as a singer-songwriter as he plays through his collection of tunes. It’s fantastic stuff, with hints of Spanish folk, occasional bursts of flamenco and even mariachi, a bit of blues, plenty of rhythm, and loads of soul, even a hint of Manu Chao from time to time! Depedro are certainly a brilliant act, and I’m particularly pleased that their set is going a little longer, since the next show’s scheduling means we get about half an hour of bonus time! With an act like Depedro, I can’t think of anything better!
And so it’s back to stage one for Sunday’s main stage finale, and there’s no one better to deliver that than WOMAD and world music favourite, Senegal’s, Youssou N’Dour. It’s been over ten years since he’s played a WOMAD stage, having served his country’s government as a minister in that time, but as soon as he comes out on stage, along with a massive band, he shows us that he’s lost none of his musical abilities to politics! Youssou is putting on a fantastic show, and despite a long day of dancing, I can’t help but continue to dance the night away! Youssou even has a special surprise in store, when Neneh Cherry joins him for their duet 7 Seconds… I’m sure WOMAD organisers had this moment in mind when they cast Nenah as part of the line-up alongside a headliner like Youssou N’Dour! Along with all the traditional African tunes we’ve come to expect from Youssou, this tune is a fitting addition. Alas, after a solid 90 minutes of playing, Youssou and his band have to call it a day, but not before they close with a rousing West African fashioned cover of Bob Marley’s Redemption Song, ending proceedings on stage one in fine form!
But that’s not all folks, the DJs roll on well into the night. Stopping by Mr V’s WoMusic shop (told you I’d buy the Depedro album!), I’m making my way to Speakers Corner for a taste of DJ Spooky. As I sip another chai tea under the Holy Cow tent, the mix of dub, dance, funk, and more form a beautiful backdrop against the trees, lights, and bats, to end another brilliant day of WOMADelaide.
Luke Balzan
When: 6 to 9 Mar
Where: Botanic Park
Bookings: womadelaide.com.au
Photography by Aaron Vinall
