Sarah Rose Cockcroft revels in the delights of the World of Music, Arts and Dance.
After a short journey from London to Chippenham we squeeze onto the shuttle bus with our rucksacks and wellies (fingers crossed we won’t be needing them) and commence our short journey to Charlton Park – the home of WOMAD festival, an all-singing, all dancing world music festival.
Arriving halfway through Fridays festivities means I’m just in time to catch the end of Palestinian hip-hoppers DAM firing through their politically charged Arabic rap in front of a packed out tent. A subtitled documentary being screened behind shows the group back in Israel and explains their struggles. Tracks like ‘Born Here’ and ‘Who’s The Terrorist?’ blasting out in Arabic, Hebrew and English show all the passion makes Jay-Z’s ’99 Problems’ pale into insignificance.
Next up is Horace Andy on the open airstage followed by new indie-folk band Stornoway next door in the Siam Tent. WOMAD’s clever organisation means that having the two biggest stages next to each other with alternating performances makes it easier to see all of the main acts. I am able to go from seeing the legendary Horace Andy who is still on top of the reggae game to the up and coming Mumford-esque sounds of Stornoway.
The layout at WOMAD Charlton Park site means you never have to miss an act because it’s compact yet is well organised. The stages and performance times are well planned enabling the audience to see more music than is possible at most other large festivals.
Headlining Radio 3’s beautiful arboretum stage tonight is everyone’s favourite folk anarchists Chumbawumba. They play a couple of their more well known songs such as their controversial number ‘Homophobia’ from one of their earlier albums and the more recent number ‘On Ebay’. The bands closing epithet ‘some people payed £60 for this show and the bastards won’t even play the one song that you know’, as a reference to the lack of Tubthumping going on, pretty much epitimises the bands humour and wit.
I wake up on Saturday and decide to explore the rest of the site. After taking a sauna in WOMAD’s luxury spa I go with my two young cousins into WOMAD’s World of Children - the choice of activities and arts and crafts available cements WOMAD’s place as one of the most child and family friendly festivals in the country. My cousins booked themselves in to make their own official WOMAD t-shirt’s and I am so impressed I decide to make one myself.
After much wondering around taking in WOMAD’s beautiful décor (including WOMAD’s famous flags) and the old fashioned steam powered fairground I find myself once again at the big red tent home to WOMAD’s younger festival goers due to the fact that the weekends line-up was mostly hip hop and dance music over the weekend. There I catch UK heavyweight Ty performing some of his more upbeat and conscious hip hop.
After trekking back to the other side of the festival (a casual 10 minute walk) I am treated to the eccentric and experimental sounds of a glamorously garbed Imogen Heap who’s live sampling and quaint storytelling keep the crowd on their toes.
However my highlight of the day is yet to come as Don Letts journey through reggae, dancehall, dub and ska has a widely varied crowd skanking away into the night. On the way back to my tent I am halted by what sounds like a mating fox battling with a crying baby, which despite sounding like something of a nightmare turns out to be the intriguing and hypnotic sound of Inuit throat singer Tanya Tanaq.
It’s Sunday morning and after choosing my Sunday lunch carefully from the dozens of world food stands I find myself eagerly anticipating festival legend Rolf Harris who romps through all the crowd pleasers and shows that at 80 years old with his good humour and awesome stage presence has still got it.
The next act I see on the Siam stage is Irish rockabilly and blues star Imelda May who’s energetic performance coupled with wondering bass lines really gets the crowd fired up and ready to enjoy the final night of the festival. So thoroughly in the mood I head back to the Big Red Tent just in time to catch Jazzsteppa who’s live dubstep breathes fresh air and energy into dubstep’s stagnating scene.
The night closes when I discover Gill Scott-Heron for the first time, although being already aware of the man I am glad to learn about the music first hand and find a captivating performance highlighted when he dedicates a song to his daughter which I’m sure brings a tear to many an eye in the audience.
Just when I think the night is over on route back to the tent I stumble across the sounds of Sudan’s Rango and arrive just in time to see their front man leap onto the stage in his ceremonial dress filled with an infectious energy which leaves all the WOMADers dancing away the rest of their festival with huge grins on their faces.
Photos thanks to Zip Luscombe.
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