In the wonderful surroundings of Charlton Park Womad Festival, 2017 is the comfort in the chaos of the summer festival season. It guarantees a gathering of souls that yearn to be touched and stirred up from the usual. All the while providing a re-enchantment with life and reigniting a beautiful feeling of conviviality. So much unpretentious Love in one place for all ages and all tastes !!!
There are a beautiful array of activities and entertainment from cooking demos from the artists themselves at Yalumba Taste the World and taste boggling street-food stalls allowing your taste buds to travel as far as your ears!!! World of Words has a fortune of wordsmithery and food for thought from the hip Hip Yak Poetry Shack where Jonny Fluffypunk and team host a beautiful speakeasy stage of innovative word genius. Indulgence highlights Womads beautifully inclusive attitude to Wellbeing – As-if the Music isn’t enough!!
Ladysmith Black Mambazo are a legendary old timer outfit, with their unparalleled vocal harmonies they carry the spirit of South Africa’s heritage, this is not one to miss. Using her music to raise awareness of some serious male dominating societal tensions, we highly rate the Malian tour de force Oumou sangaré will nail those ear-soul craves with her gorgeous vocals. !!!(Chk Chk Chk) this freshly dizzy fun New York number named after the subtitles exclaiming how the khoisan speak in their infamous “click” language. The Beauty continues with Maya Youssef musically healing the hurts of Her Syrian background. Amsterdam Klezmer Band bringing the legacy of a dying Jewish tradition of yiddish music, these guys make you think twice about Klezmer going anywhere. If travelling the world is too ungrounding, rave aficionado Rival Consoles will be doing a live modular set bringing some london underground dirt to the worldly pleasantries. If that doesn’t tickle your ear pickle, Floating points has a record collection to spin the satisfaction into your groove and Trad.attack the Estonian folk trio taking tradition and twisting it into night -times revelry.
After a turbulent year for many in this country- Womad is the place to heal.
There is a fortune more so check it out – you won’t see it all but be where it’s all happening…..
Words by Daniel Levin
