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Nothing, says ANDY HEDGECOCK, can rescue this undistinguished amalgam of ponderous melodrama and shallow philosophical speculation
A world of infinite variety
From the Palestinian ‘shamstep’ of 47Soul to the Gypsy brass of Kocani Orkestar, this year’s Womad was an exhilirating global music celebration, says GEORGE FOGARTY
JAMIE BRITTON invites readers to visit 3,500 locals as part of a marathon artistic pub crawl
JOHN GREEN welcomes a valuable and incisive analysis of a world become hyperpolitical but without the mass movement institutions to represent it
JAMES WALSH is moved by a provocative and original take on the relationship between ecology and architecture, and a plea to work with, not against, the materials and minerals of our world
An immersive, participatory display by a queer Australian Aboriginal performer, and a rebellious unravelling of traditional Scottish dance
THE WOMAD festival, now in its 33rd year, is the country’s premier event not only for experiencing some of the world’s most accomplished musicians but also for breaking down musical borders and boundaries.
The term “fusion” doesn’t even do justice to the intense cross-cultural fertilisation that characterizes so many of the performances.
Take 47Soul, for example, a Palestinian dance outfit who specialise in what they call “shamstep.”
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SOPHIE WENBAN recommends a remarkable Italian quartet who revive Bluegrass on period instruments to give a taste of the communal spirit that first made it popular
GEORGE FOGARTY reflects on the politics expressed at this year’s festival where contradictions abound, but the music kept it real
TONY BURKE talks to Garth Cartwright author of Princes Amongst Men — Journeys With Romani Gypsy Musicians
TONY BURKE recommends a new podcast about the legenary Nigerian musician and political activist FELA KUTI