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Turning up at the Adelaide Botanic Park yesterday morning, I think it is fair to say I was the least enthusiastic person I saw. The weather was miserable, the ground damp, and my method of choosing which acts I was going to see for the next 11 hours, questionable.

WOMADelaide is one of those events everyone in Adelaide intends to see but many never do. The diversity and vast number of artists ensures there really is something for everybody, but what to do in those in between times where all there is to see is a half-spoken Canadian act (more on that later) and a dance ensemble that doesn’t really tickly your fancy?

I’ll be the first to confess that my slight cynicism was premature and whilst Sunday at WOMAD turned out to be a four seasons in one day, type of day, it was anything but dull, but rather a chance to get your world music senses tingling.

First on my list was Ross Daly and Ensemble, a Crete group, performing their show The Circle and The Cross Roads. This sit down act really was something else, the quintet (featuring one musician from Adelaide) drew in a reasonable crowd to hear their beautiful harmonies created on a range of string instruments. Ross Daly himself a well travelled and very talented musician, leading the performance on his lyra.

Frank Yamma’s workshop was one of the most political performances of the day, with many songs concerning the political state of West Papua. Accompanying keyboardist and vocalist David Bridie did most of the talking, including telling the audience the band would appear on an upcoming episode of Neighbours with a group of West Papuan asylum seekers wearing “Free West Papua” t-shirts, to perform a song. It was a very heart-warming and touching performance, with such sensitive subject matter being the focus. As well as political themes, the group also delved into some more personal issues including Yamma singing about alcoholism and the importance of his country and traditions.

I had been told that YAMATO, the Drummers of Japan were not to be missed, and I wasn’t disappointed. Turning up at the Zoo stage and seeing a dozen huge drums before you is anything but unexciting. The language barrier between audience and performer proved to enhance the performance as the 7 young drummers took to pounding at the drums, perfectly synchronised. Unfortunately this was a workshop so we were only treated to one song before audience participation took over. Dozens of enthusiastic members of the crowd spent the rest of the show learning how to play a song, much to the amusement and enjoyment of those of us left sitting on the ground, with only hands and knees to substitute for cow skin drums. The YAMATO group were a joy to watch, their enthusiasm and energy was infectious as they got hundreds of people clapping and yelling along with them with a few war cries thrown in for good measure.

One of the better known acts of the day was up next on Stage 2. Los Amigos Invisibles are famous for their funk/dance tunes, even winning a Latin Grammy in 2009. Several of their songs have hit the club scene recently, ensuring a good turnout. With plenty of energy being pushed out into the crowd, people were on their feet and getting into it nice and early in the day. The band played a very energetic and enjoyable set adding something really different to WOMAD (which had a shortage of acts of this kind on day three). Ending on an instrumental rendition of Sweet Child O’ Mine, this is when the WOMAD party really got started.

Making my way over to stage 1, I ran into (literally) the Slack Taxi Bouncers, three young men with giant exercise balls strapped to their bodies who, as their name suggests, were bouncing around the grounds throughout the day with an entertaining performance of acrobatics thrown every now and then. Not a mode of transportation I would consider long term, but they were having a ball, as were those who followed them around.

Miriem Hassan’s performance was not what I was expecting. Hailing from the West Sahara, she brought with her a full band, electric guitars, drum kit and all. She and her band put on a very visually stimulating show. Despite not understanding her lyrics, it was clear that her songs held a lot of personal meaning (she sung in her native Hasania style, a narrative technique) and the emotion was evident. Despite coming from a difficult past, Hassan was energetic and her songs very enjoyable. Her vocal abilities were astounding and powerful, reaching all those who turned up to watch the band perform.

Adelaide’s Tutti Ensemble are a choir who were founded on the belief that including the disabled and non-disabled alike in a musical collection could help reach the public and not only educate others, but create a truly unique group. The only choir of their kind in the world, they certainly can pull a crowd. With a set made up of original songs and many songs of African-origins it was a truly uplifting and inspiring performance. The amount of positive energy coming off the stage was mind-blowing and it was impossible not to smile and get in amongst it. The talented group was a joy to watch and one couldn’t help but clap along.

Some may know Jeff Martin from his work in The Tea Party, a Canadian progressive rock band; but he was at WOMADelaide with his new trio, The Armada. Playing rock with obvious Indian, Middle Eastern and Turkish influences they really were something else. The DIY drum kit, (featuring bongos of various shapes and sizes rather than the traditional snare, tom toms, etcetera) was marvelously executed by Wayne Sheehy. The different sounds he created gave such great depth to the music and Martin’s lyrics.

Running off to the Moreton Bay stage I wanted to get a good spot for Jane Siberry. The highly acclaimed songstress has been making waves in Canada for the better part of 20 years, and knew how to draw a crowd in Adelaide. Something should have clicked when I realised I was the youngest member of the audience by at least 30 years, but determined to stay for the whole performance, I found one of the few dry patches of the parklands left, and waited. Siberry has a very eccentric personality but doesn’t effectively show it. Her performance is half story-telling, half folk songs (which often continue the story) but neither were particularly captivating. With everybody laughing, I must have missed the joke. Maybe it was a generational thing, but while Sibbery has a very powerful singing voice and is a good story teller, I found myself wondering what was going on most of the time, and if any of her stories would start making sense. Unfortunately they didn’t, so it was back to stage 1.

Éthiopiques were one of the most heart-warming and energetic performances of the day featuring a ten-piece French band and fronted by the charismatic Mahmoud Ahmed, hailing from Ethiopia. This was another example of not needing to understand the lyrics to appreciate the music and feel the emotion. The brass section of the band gave a unique texture to the ensemble and Ahmed was a joy to watch, pumping the crowd up and getting everyone dancing along.

The best was kept until (almost) last. Closing off stage 2 was French jazz/ska group Babylon Circus. Their performance is exactly what I would expect if a circus was translated into a musical performance. The enthusiasm and energy from the band was reflected in the huge turn-out, with all the saxophone, trumpet, trombone, percussion, accordion, keyboard, clarinet and various other instruments here and there you could ever want, Babylon Circus were the most fun all day. Their entire set was visually and musically entertaining, half musical half theatrical. Finishing their set with audience participation from hundreds on La Cigarette, and possibly the longest applause of all the acts, the dynamic French group were clearly the festival favourites, at least for Sunday.

Last but not least was Ojos de Brujo, a rumba/flamenco group from Spain. The animated visuals projected on the top of stage 1 added an extra element to an already visually stunning performance. The outfits worn by some members of the band were stunning and the sound they expelled was very powerful. Having said that though, the performance was not as good as it should have been. Little effort was made by performers to engage or include the audience in any way, relying more on their visual aids.

Overall day 3 at WOMADelaide was an eye-opening experience, visually, musically and culturally with the amazing array of foods on offer. As with any festival, some performers are going to excite you more than others, but WOMAD gives you that chance to see acts you usually never would. I am very much looking forward to going again next year, and I urge others to do the same.

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