The day started badly. We were a three hour drive from home before we realised we’d forgotten the tickets. Committed as always, our neighbours were instructed to break in to our house and bring the tickets with them as they were travelling later that day. As it turned out, a crow bar to our front door was unnecessary. Despite what it says on the website, tickets can be replaced when you arrive at the festival.
The line-up for WOMAD 2015 was as eclectic as ever. Big names such as De La Soul, Bellowhead and Laura Mvula were placed alongside bands undiscovered by many from 53 different countries worldwide. The weather forecast was in no way reflected in the mood of the crowds, which remained high spirited right from the wonderful Molotov Jukebox (UK ‘gypstep’ band) on Friday afternoon to The Cat Empire (Melbourne’s jazz/funk/Latin/gypsy six-piece) on Sunday night. For me, WOMAD isn’t about seeing bands that everyone knows, or that have a big name, but about discovering artists whose music quality is often far better than those clouded with corporate advertising and billion pound record investments.
WOMAD is an intimate festival that caters for almost any person’s music taste which means highlights and ‘headline acts’ differ from one person to the next. This year’s discoveries include Sagapool, Ester Rada and Kim Churchill. Sagapool, an “exuberant klezmer/Balkan-flavoured six-piece” based in Montreal, played an upbeat, toe-tapping set on the Ecotricity stage on Friday. It is impossible to identify a key figure in the band as all six musicians compose and take a leading role in the playing. The fiddle and clarinet complimented each other beautifully and seemed to be the only fixed positions in the band as the rest of the members flitted from one instrument to the next. Their catchy tunes were dispersed between periodic ramblings on world love and the universe and you could feel the connection between the band members who had been playing together for 15 years.
Saturday brought a break from the drizzle, beautifully accompanied by a breath-taking performance from Ester Rada. Although raised in Israel, her music is more influenced by the Ethio grooves of her heritage as well as 21st century R&B. A highlight of her set has to be her beautiful homage to Nina Simone, taking the groove back to more jazzy roots and letting rip a stream of emotion in ‘Four Women’.
Kim Churchill, not yet 25 and already four studio albums into his career, played a high energy set on Sunday afternoon. The one-man band busker from Australia put on a wonderful performance, displaying incredible talent in song writing, guitar, drums and harmonica. Despite the rain, the whole crowd was warmed by his deliciously rough and husky voice as well as his immense stage presence and charisma.The Cat Empire arrived after a sell out performance at the Royal Albert Hall and their WOMAD performance marked the end of their European Tour. The funky set helped the crowd forget the downpour (possibly the heaviest of the weekend so far) and swap wellies for dancing shoes as the mud thickened and grins widened.
WOMAD retained its reputation for the wonderful choice of food, anything from Thai noodles to Goan fish curry, and the Tiny Tea Tent offered and warm and calm respite from the driving rain and ankle deep mud. The usual stalls selling harem pants and face glitter were outshone by more quirky wares. Saxaflutes were a personal favourite – handmade bamboo flutes fitted with a saxophone mouth piece creating a wonderful sounding instrument (check them out at www.saxaflute.com). The Siam Tent hosted The Staves’ WOMAD debut and internationally renowned Tinariwen from Mali. Molly’s Bar offered a platform for budding musicians at the open mike session and also hosted smaller bands throughout the weekend.
The Swing Ninjas (from Brighton, UK) are worth mentioning, playing an incredibly dancy upbeat set on Sunday night, finishing off with the best rendition of ‘Three Blind Mice’ I have ever heard! Arriving just 10 minutes before any set was enough to squeeze your way to a front row spot, more than any Glastonbury headliner can guarantee, and the San Fran Disco offered a perfect venue for dancing the night away.
Getting off the site on Monday morning was accompanied with all the difficulties of a muddy field and hundreds of cars. Some more temporary, roll-out road would have helped cars get off quicker as the wet ground caused quite a few stuck caravans, however spirits remained high and after a forty minute wait we made it to the road.
A little more sun would have been welcomed by all this weekend but nothing could wipe off the grin WOMAD always managed to plaster on my face. Bringing musicians together from all over the world since 1982, WOMAD has lost none of its heart and still provides an earthly, friendly and intimate atmosphere with good music and friendly faces at its very core.
Words by Betsy Middleton