WOMADelaide @ Botanic Park, Adelaide 8/3/2025
As punters slowly drift back into Botantic Park after a superb WOMAD Friday night, another scorching WOMAD Saturday looms for those brave enough to bear the heat again. With the mercury set to hit the high thirties, many conscious of the big day ahead are content taking shade under a tree, fanning themselves with one of the sold-out fans from the merch tent, and hydrating for another momentous day.
Speaking of being built for the heat, upon entrance a giant mechanical marionette Camel Chamôh is greeting guests as they arrive for other day. The brainchild of French puppeteers Compagnie Paris Bénarès, Chamôh will gracefully trace his way through the park over the weekend as one of this year’s roaming installations, sparking curiosity and awe in children and adults alike.
Hailing from Naarm/Melbourne but with roots throughout Latin America, Amaru Tribe are making sweaty work of their set on Stage 3. The folktronic five piece are as entertaining as they are hard to define, displaying infectious Afro-latin beats, electronic samples and Latin-inspired strings. Percussionist/vocalist Katherine Gailer is absolutely ruthless on the mic as she switches from delivering vocal harmonies to serving vicious MC rhymes. After overcoming a few tech issues early, the crowd soon forget as Amaru Tribe take them on an epic journey of their self-labelled Cumbia Oceanica.
An all-seated audience warmly greets the revered singer Eleanor Jawurlngali at the Moreton Bay Stage for her only performance at WOMAD this year. The Mudburra and Garrawa woman from Marlinja in the NT admits to the crowd she is a bit nervous, but there’s certainly no evidence of that in her performance. Jawurlngali’s voice is exceptional, and placed over the canvass of brooding cello (Stephanie Arnold) and haunting guitar (Mick Turner – Dirty Three), it’s a moving combination that has the audience captivated from the start to the very finish.
As the sun beings to set and the day’s heat slightly relents, its the perfect setting for the Carnival-like atmosphere at Stage 2 for Brazilian outfit Bala Desejo. There’s dance moves aplenty on both the stage and in the crowd as the Cariocas serve a joyful, sexy, funky cocktail of psychedelia and tropicália. Frontwoman Julia Mestre hypes up the crowd at every opportunity with an excitement and eccentricity that only Brazilians know how.
If you imagine the Black Keys had a third member that played the sousaphone, and they sung mostly in Creole, you might be getting kind of close to the sound of Delgres. Greeting an enthusiastic Zoo Stage audience for their debut Australian performance, the French blues-rock power trio rip through tracks from all three of their albums including their latest Promis Le Ciel. Front man Pascal Danae cuts a slick rock ‘n’ roll figure on the stage, riffing a stunning aqua marine guitar, and flanked by the firm bass of sousaphonist Rafgee and the boisterous hits of Baptiste Brondy on the skins. They bring their set to a close with the raw and bluesy ‘Mo Jodi’.
With the sun truly set, the Flying foxes are now awake and it’s time for the Saturday night party to really kick-off – and Stage 7 is where it’s at. Melbourne’s Owelu Dreamhouse, with founding members Nkechi Anele and Nic Ryan-Glenie, have again captured the funk-soul lightening in a bottle with their latest band, and much like their former band Saskwatch, it’s really something quite special. Thick afro-beats, soul-psychedelia and an irresistible groove all make for a tantalising live combination. Throw in flute solos, endless percussion, and a dazzling brass section, Owelu Dreamhouse bring an inimitable live atmosphere that needs witnessed.
Attracting by far the largest crowd of the day, Grogan Bregovic and his Wedding and Funeral Band are doing their best to take the party to another level at the Foundation Stage. With a constant thumping beat, intense gypsy brass, soaring harmonies, and songs sung in a multitude of languages, it makes for a big, big sound that invites some of the most carefree dancing of the day. Bringing an irresistibly cheerful vibe, from the front to the back of the WOMAD masses, one can understand why Bregovic has graced stages across the world over 3,000 times.
Once one half of the uber-popular electronic dance act Moloko, Irish artist Rosin Murphy has carved a rich solo career in her own right, her electric live show no doubt a coup for WOMAD this year. Closing out Stage 2, she kicks off with the aforementioned band’s banger Pure Pleasure Seeker. With a rolling wardrobe of costumes that range from unusual to outrageous, combined with synchronized visuals and mind-bending graphics, Murphy’s live show is expertly crafted and unequivocally entertaining, even for those not deeply familiar with her music catalogue.
With oxytoxins well and truly flowing, anthems Overpowered and Let Me Know have the crowd hooked, and timeless dancefloor classics like The Time is Now and an extended Sing it Back delight both the dedicated pack of fans at the front, and the casual fans scattered throughout the crowd. Her set serves as an epic close to WOMAD’s Saturday entertainment.
WOMAD Review By Matt Eygeneraam