WOMAdelaide drops a killer final announcement for their 2019 Festival

By Deb Kloeden, Rock At Night Australia

Venue: Botanic Park, Adelaide, 8th – 11th March, 2019

Up and coming Festivals

Yesterday WOMADelaide made a surprise final artist announcement, revealing that the incredibly popular New Zealand outfit, FAT FREDDY’S DROP, will be returning after a five-year absence. The globally successful seven-piece band delivers it’s own style of dub, funk, soul, reggae, ska and house. They will make sure Saturday night is a highlight.

The line-up for this year’s festival is gob-smacking. The extraordinary three-time Grammy winner, ANGELIQUE KIDJO is returning to deliver the Australian premiere of her full-circle re-imagining of Talking Head’s 1980’s classic, ‘Remain In Light’, an album heavily influenced by West Africa’s Afrobeat. Also from Africa, Soweto’s BCUC (Bantu Continua Uhuru Consciousness) will bring their rebellious ‘Afropsychedelic’ energy to the stage.

THE CORRESPONDENTS (singer Mr Bruce and producer Chucks), from the UK will bring their hi-octane, genre-blending dance music to get the party started. Another DJ from UK, DJ HARVEY, has an impressive past, having been a teen drummer in punk bands and co-founded the fabled Tonka Sound System collective in the late 80s. His DJ sets could be described as house, techno and classics, but he’s renowned for throwing all sorts of left-field sounds into the mix.

Amsterdam-based trio MY BABY plays roots-driven hypnotic dance music. I was lucky enough to see them perform in New Zealand at New Year at The Rhythm & Alps Festival. They drew a huge crowd and gave an impressive performance with their appealing mix of blues, country and funk.

I am especially excited about the Australian acts on the 2019 WOMADelaide line-up. Making a welcome, triumphant return to the festival after eleven years, John Butler is one of Australia’s most accomplished roots musicians. THE JOHN BUTLER TRIO will present the acclaimed new album, ‘Home’, which tackles the inner demons JB faced when adjusting to settling down after years of touring.

The well known funk band THE BAMBOOS will bring their upbeat, infectious grooves to a whole new world of listeners. Melbourne-based HARTS is Indian-born Darren Hart, a young singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose exciting mix of funk, jazz, blues, psychedelic rock and scorching guitar lines has seen him compared to Jimi Hendrix, Lenny Kravitz and of course, Prince. I’ve seen him perform a few times now and am keen for more solid guitar shredding.

Adelaide’s TIMBERWOLF is one of Australia’s most gifted modern folk talents, having taken out Best Songwriter and Best Male Artist at the 2017 SA Music Awards, signed to US publisher Third Side Music and amassing more than four million streams on Spotify. I am proud to have promoted Timberwolf since his beginnings. Also from Adelaide, OLLIE ENGLISH, is an enthralling 23-year old singer-songwriter, who won the Most Popular Blues & Roots Award at the 2018 SA Music Awards. He captivates his audiences as he moves from soulful rock anthems with gritty guitar solos, to heartfelt ballads humming with gospel-inspired backing vocals.

Triple J Unearthed and NIMA-winning storyteller and creator THELMA PLUM is a strong Gamilaraay woman. Her delightful folk-pop is as inviting and warm as it is incisive and her divine melodies ease you into her universe.

Winner of the Best Music Act of Adelaide Fringe 2018, UKELELE DEATH SQUAD wows audiences by pushing the boundaries of the humble four-stringed ukulele. Their repertoire covers flamenco, Mexican, rap and folk styles.

But WOMADelaide is much more than just a music and dance festival. This year the COLOUR OF TIME will return. Paying homage to India’s traditional Holi festival, The Colour of Time is an irresistible celebration of unity, diversity and friendship, which everyone is invited to join. It is a joyous procession of dance, music and colour.

Festival-goers are invited to join some of the world’s great minds at THE PLANET TALKS in a series of fascinating live conversations about our environment and sustainable relationship with the planet. Speakers include Senator PENNY WONG and FIRST DOG ON THE MOON, the Walkley award-winning editorial cartoonist for The Guardian, National Treasure and bestselling author.

There will also be the ever-popular KID ZONE, ROVING ENTERTAINERS, WORKSHOPS and TASTE THE WORLD where Festival artists share their personal stories and recipes by cooking their favourite dishes from home.

With the festival only weeks away, there is plenty to look forward to. Find more information on the web.