WOMADelaide - Day 2 @ BotanicGardens, Adelaide (12/03/11)

Sun 13th Mar, 2011 in Gig Reviews

The vibe on Saturday was clearly up a notch from the previous night with clearly more people wandering around the stages. The trade stalls were thriving and it was interesting to see a shop dedicated to bongo drums. There were also health and well being areas, hat stalls and more than one chai outlet which was somewhat unexpected.

Leah Flanagan opened the day with some polished country rock. Her great heartfelt vocals were supported by a decent bass player and guitarist and the appreciative crowd packed out the smaller stage to see her show. Not long after, Adelaide’s own instrumental funk outfit Shaolin Afronauts were a great early act and truly one of the shining lights of a city not necessarily known for its funk and jazz acts. The band’s live sound was great with each member more than playing their part particularly the baritone sax player who also switched to bass clarinet. The costumes and space themes are endearing and will help set them apart. There’s little doubt this show will really help lift their profile in the town.

Classy French Nigerian act Asa put in a super-slick performance with a silky voice and some earthy lyrics and a really smooth band behind featuring a fantastic bass player. The live sound was amazing for this act and the crowd was thoroughly impressed. She was as engaging as hey come and even more charming when freestyling. Interestingly the band was made up by both French and Nigerian members and with Fefe to come later, points to the interesting relationship between the two countries. Eclectic German outfit 17 Hippies featured a bit of weimar cabaret and some clear French influences as they won over the crowd.

The sit down Archie Roach show was a perfect way to relax in the mid afternoon and it was a nice change to have him and Shane Howard from Goanna introduce songs with extended stories about indigenous Australia and life in their corner of Victoria. Meanwhile at the other end of the venue Masterchef and ABC TV star Poh’s cooking demonstration was engaging and honest, although one senses she needs a little more experience on the speaker circuit to hit her straps. Nearby Marshall Maguire’s classical harp work was focused more on traditional classical styles and he made a point to leave out the dreamy ethereal harp work associated with the stereotypical style more familiar to most. The classical techniques he employed were almost more reminiscent of compositions for piano and the sound similar to a classical guitar. The Italian piece based on the changes that rooms undergo with changes of occupants was meditative and tranquil.

The contrast between high voltage Australian blues star Ash Grumwald and blues traditionalist American Bob Brozman was interesting. Grumwald’s voice was aggressive and powerful, the show was loud and at times fast paced whilst Brozman was earthy, contemplative and heartfelt. Grumwald’s drummer had a great kit with hanging cymbals and some other frills, whilst Brozman had an expansive collection of guitars. His steel guitar picking and slide techniques were fascinating and his show whilst much more pared back compared to Grumwald was much more to my liking.

The show by Martha Wainwright,was a little minamalist with just her and occasionally her husband on piano and light back up vocals. But given the warm evening and the relaxed vibe floating around the place it seemed to fit. Unfortunately the organisers telling the standing crowd to sit down was a little irritating causing a lack of space and some discomfort amongst the disgruntled fans. Still, Wainwright wowed her fans, many of which were closer to the stage and her humour and banter was well recieved. Her show was a little varied with a Nick Cave cover and a stunning number by Edith Paif, although the clear standout was her own Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole although it may have been amended to be more family orientated. Given her prodigious relations (she is sister of Rufus Wainwright and daughter of folk royalty Louden Wainwright III and the late Kate McGarrigle) there’s no wonder quite how good she was. Her vocal range was stunning and her command of her music fantastic. Whilst perhaps it would have been good to have seen a couple more band mates on stage with her the show was great in part, perhaps not quite on par with some of the fantastic world music acts on the day. Still her fans were thrilled and essentially that’s what mattered most.

As the sun started to set in Adelaide Irish songstress Imelda May’s provided a rivetting performance. Her voice sounded huge and her stage presence was eye catching with a lot of movement, not to mention, a beautiful bright red dress. Her sound combined country, blues and folk and always had some guts to it. At the second main stage the performance by the Leigh Warren & Dancers group was spellbinding and a perfect fit for the event, especially with the participation of indigenous dancers. Frances Rings’ choreography was stunning and under the lights the show was spectacular at night.

Headline act, Nigerian French singer Fefe put on a show to remember. He had the best crowd interaction and response by far of any act in the first two days. His energetic movement on and off the stage, off kilter discussions and hilarious crowd directions had the audience eating out of his hand. The singer mixed some wicked French hip hop with blues, reggae and some RnB but it simply his showmanship which stole the show. His band was absolutely killer with a sublimely talented drummer, fantastic keyboard player, great bassist and a smooth DJ who on queue provided some slick dance moves. The band covered Michael Jackson and Kanye hit Goldigger as well as some other hip hop staples, but it was their own French hip hop which stood out.

Malian singers Amadou and Mariam are both blind but like a number of American RnB and soul icons, it certainly hasn’t diminished their talent. With a great stage set up, the two singers are in yellow, their back up singers in red and a guitarist in white. The sound feels like the most distinctively, or recognisably African sound I’ve heard. Their rhythm section reminds me of what impresses me the most about WOMADelaide: every musician is an absolute pro.

Rajendra Prasanna was one of the more traditional highlights of Saturday’s show. The master of the bansuri, a traditional Indian flute put on a superb show with son and fellow flautist Rishab Prasanna, a fast-fingered tabla player and a sitarist. Unfortunately throughout the performance he was visibly a little irate, not trusting the quality of the live sound, given some issues with the fold back speakers. This was evident to most of the audience with a number of heated exchanges with his manager, probably in Hindi. Still, the the sound and the quality of the musicianship was flawless, verging on brilliant at times. The bansuri sounded silky and ethereal, the the ambience of the overall sound perfectly suited to the vibe of the outdoor tree lined venue at night. Prasanna’s tabla player was amazing, overshadowing the star of the show at times with complex rhythms and rapid rolls. At one point Rishab Prasanna pushed the foldback speakers back. Later he ask the audience, in broken English if they had trouble hearing them as the band had foldback issues admitting they weren’t confident with their sound. When gaining the approval of the audience they resumed with one song dedicated to the sacred Indian city of Varanasi.

As he did the night before British DJ legend and MBE recipient Norman Jay brought the night to close on the furthest stage with some great mixes, crossing a number of dance genres. The man certainly knew how to play to the crowd constantly complimenting the venue and the event. The crowd simply went off in his first hour but gradually tired out as the night wore on after an understandably long but nontheless great day.

I realised the important thing about WOMAD is many of these acts would never even think to play Adelaide if it were not for this festival. Whilst the atmosphere is easily the best of any in Adelaide and the crowd great, it’s truly the authenticity of these international acts which make this show so special. The level of training WOMAD musicians have is on another level to most other major festivals that come to our shores. We should never forget how privileged we are to have such an eye opening event at the centre of our city.