Organiser Girl

On Friday night Adelaide’s Botanic Park came alive again once more to host the amazing outdoor world music festival that is Womadelaide. For many years I thought that WOMAD was an acronym for World Music Adelaide; in a sense it is, for at least three days out of every year. It was much to my surprise to discover that WOMAD was actually an abbreviation of World Music and Dance, a festival that is held in many nations… not just in Australia.

My Womadelaide journey began at around seven when I entered the venue through the Frome Gate and was transported into a pulsating musical hub. Botanic Park was transformed. Colourful flags on large bamboo poles had been erected, lights were strung up in the trees, and there were people everywhere. When Womad comes to town, it really comes to town. No less than six stages had been erected! I’m sure there were only four stages last time, and the Speaker’s Corner stage was definitely a welcome addition with it’s ambient lighting and tranquil surrounds. The global display also featured, (for a variety of aid organisations such as Oxfam, Wilderness Australia and AusAID to share their message with the people) the global food area, the global art & craft stalls, kidzone and the healing village. If you’ve never witnessed this transformation before then you certainly are missing out.

First on the dance music bill for me was LABJACD (pronounced “lab-jacked”) a hip-hop group from Melbourne. Labjacd don’t play your ordinary commercial hip-hop, they’ve added their own special blend of jazz and Latino into the mix. Several members of the group have Chilean ancestry so what might have been run of the mill music was spiced up with Spanish vocals and salsa rhythms. They’re a fantastic group with a good sound and a whole lot of energy to dance your socks off to.

Performing on a different stage at the same time as Labjacd was Adelaide based Chakrini of European/Indian decent. She is an acoustic folk/roots guitarist and singer. Whilst Paul Kelly and the Storm Water Boys played on the main stage from 8:15 pm, I spent my time between two of the other stages. Indonesian Tommee & The Neighbourhood performing at the Zoo Stage played some laid back reggae on a variety of indigenous instruments, including the Kecapi a West Javanese stringed instrument.

Partway through Tommee’s set I headed off to the Speakers Corner stage where Sri Lankan Ravibandhu Vidyapathy & Ensemble were running a workshop. I learnt a little about Kandyan Traditional Dance and Percussion and enjoyed some hot chai and a guarana chocolate ball from the great little cafe near the stage. Next on my agenda was the award winning La Bottine Souriante on Stage 2. What a fabulous shoe stompin’ Quebecan roots group this is, with French vocals and a fabulous body-shaking beat. I’d love to see them again.

The highlight of the night for me was the main stage performance of The Dhol Foundation an Indian-English group of Dhol drummers. Persian and Afghani in origin, the dhol is a large drum with two goatskin surfaces that is worn over the shoulder with a strap. In their matching outfits the Dhol Foundation were a spectacle to behold. The powerful combination of rhythmic dhol beats and gorgeous brown skinned bodies with muscular torsos was mesmerizing. The lead dhol player Johnny Kalsi (also a member of Afro Celt Sound System) is an energetic musician who plays to the crowd, working the dancing jumping mass of people into a greater frenzy with each beat of his drum. The Dhol Foundation were by far and away my WOMAD night’s highlight.

The Dhol Foundation have recorded two full length albums, big drum: small world and the more recently released drum-believable. For any Dhol or Bhangra lover, either album is a necessary addition to your music collection; drum-believable has made its way into mine. With reggae legend Jimmy Smith and dance/world fusion pioneer Talvin Singh scheduled to play on the remaining two days of the festival, I left this night satisfied but envious of those lucky holders of three-day tickets. Bring on WOMAD 2007!