Since 2008 I have been fortunate enough to have been able to photograph at Womadelaide in Botanic park so Im sharing with you all 15 years worth of images compressed into around 10 minutes.
To say this was easy is an understatment as I generally shoot over 1000 images per full day and maybe 700 on the friday night. Hopefully I got the mix right. I had previously released a 10 year compilation video so I kept the number of images down for the first 10 years 2008-2018 and concentrated on more from the last 5 years.
Enjoy the show and dont forget Womadelaide 2024 is less than a month away
Just over 2 months to go until Womadelaide 2024 comes to Adelaide and once again lots of New music and acts have been announced and its great to explore the unknown. Womadelaide 2023 copped some criticism from many regular Womadelaide festival participants for being overcrowded especially on the Saturday which was sold out was before the event due to the “mainstream” act that was of course Florence and the Machine. It looks like the organisers listened to the comments and this year there are some big International world music acts but no one individual “Super act”.
I for one am excited to see one performance that has played at Womadelaide previously and that is DakhaBrakha from the Ukraine who were a Highlight at Womadelaide 2016. I was so impressed that I caught their performance on both playing days capturing their intensity. I would imagine that with world events their intensity will level up at Womad 2024
Gilberto Gil is also back again after playing Womadelaide a long time ago in 2004 and also returning is the Sharon Shannon Big band who last played at Womadelaide in 2012.
Of course there are other big name acts that have yet to play at Womadelaide such as Ziggy Marley, Morcheeba, José González but the real joy of the artists playing at Womadelaide is Discovery – those bands you’ve never heard of but sound interesting and there is always lots of GOLD at the event thanks to the organisers selections.
With just over a month to go until Womadelaide 2023 its time to get excited and it looks like it going to be a cracker of an event.
A few of these Acts I have been lucky to have seen and Photographed previously, at Womadelaide and other festivals and shows.
One of the highlights from Womadelaide 2018 was not a band but the nightly high flying performance – Gratte Ciel coming back to perform overhead again on all 4 nights to Botanic park for their high flying aerobatic display accompanied by a great musical score and Angels and of course lots of feathers. It is one of those performances that is very hard to describe without seeing it first hand.
You can read about the sustainability of the feathers used on the Womadelaide website.
There is a mix of big name International Acts at Womadelaide 2023 including Billy Bragg who last performed at Womad in 2014 who I captured playing on Stage 2
The feature performance on Saturday night is Florence and the Machine who performed in Adelaide at Botanic park just a few years back and Aurora from Norway playing Friday night. Bon Iver from the USA are also going to be playing showcasing their music from the last 15 years.
The Proclaimers from Scotland are also heading over to play and will no doubt be playing their hit “500 miles” as well as material from their recently released album.
Angel Olsen is also on the artist list and I first caught her playing at Laneway festival in 2015 down at Port Adelaide and captured a few photos. Her style is pretty laid back which will suit the Monday timeslot when most attendees are looking for some time to chill and listen
Also returning are the Kronos quartet who look they are doing a final tour before calling timeout. They played at Womadelaide Earthstation back in 2011 in Belair National Park. I always though it was a shame this sister event only was a once off as the location was great and some great speakers with the focus more heavily on sustainability rather than primarily the music.
Monday night sees one of the stalwarts of African music returning with Youssou N’Dour and his superband performing. He is no stranger to Womadelaide having performed many time over the years. This capture is from 2008 at Womadelaide
This list is just scratching the surface of the diverse and spectacular artists that have been invited to join the Womadelaide experience in 2023. For those into dance the Bangarra dance theatre perform Friday night also.
Womadelaide is one of Adelaides premiere events and is held over 4 days in the beautiful surrounds of Botanic park in the city. Remember that Womad is not just about those artists you already know about but the other performers you know very little about but are almost always a pleasant surprise of new music or dance that fall outside what you would usually go and see but leaves you refreshed and inspired. The event is VERY kid friendly with a kid zone and free entry for kids accompanied by adults ( refer conditions )
See you at Womadelaide 2023 and leave a comment if there is an act that is maybe not so well known but a must see. with so many stages there are always some acts that you just cant fit into the schedule.
This year marks the 30 year anniversary for Womadelaide and returns to Botanic park in Adelaide after a cutdown 3 day, evening only set of performances on a single stage in King Rodney Park in Covid affected 2021.
Like all Womadelaide events there are always suprises and performances from artists you know very little about. Then there are some that you know a LOT about such as the Cat empire who return yet again to grace the stage at Botanic park as part of their farewell tour.
Contrasting the sound of the cat empire 2022 also sees the return of the hard hitting sounds of AB Original who performed last at Womadelaide in 2017 ( although one half – Briggs performed in 2020 ).
We also see the return of another indigenous artist – Baker boy who absolutely blew away the crowd with his rapping in his native language back playing “Marryuna” in 2018. It was an amazing performance and I highly reccomend those attending to fit his show in.
Then there are some newcomers to the Womadelaide stage but not new to other music festivals and gigs. The award winning sounds of Australian singer/songwriter Courtney Barnett. I caught her at Laneway festival back in 2015 when she was in the early stages of her career
Also returning to the Womadelaide is HipHop artist L Fresh the Lion who was last at Womad in 2017 and had the crowd moving.
This is only a small selection of images from my own archives. You can find many other images from Womadelaide over the last 15 years up at http://www.craftypics.com/music
Tickets for this years event can be found here https://www.womadelaide.com.au/tickets but dont leave it too late as crowd numbers will be more limited due to Covid restrictions so get in early for 4 days of musical bliss. Dont forget if you have kids under 12 they have free entry with accompanying parents
There are also a great selection of speakers taking part in the planet talks. I’m yet to work out which ones I can fit in but super keen to hear Bruce Pascoe. The full list of speakers is https://www.womadelaide.com.au/lineup/the-planet-talks
Womadelaide 2021 was a very different affair due to Covid and looked for a while that nothing would be proceeding, but then the announcement that just Australian Acts would be playing on just a single stage for Dusk/nightime concerts.
Not really WOMAD as we know and love and more in name and the timing of the shows. Photography passes would be very limited due to a single stage and this year is the first year I have not been there on Media duties, but instead as a general Punter.
Midnight Oil were always going to be a big drawcard as one of Australias premiere live artists and one of my own favourites and Saturday performance promised an older ( hits ) selection rather than the newer Makarata project tracks which are to be highlighted at the final night at Womad on Monday 9th March.
Here is a small selection of clips from Saturdays songs. They are only snippets and no I dont have additional footage as I was there to enjoy the show, but I do like a visual and audio memory of concerts I attend so enjoy
An interesting lens release from Sirui who are better known for their tripods and Monopods. The 50mm Anamorphic F/1.8 was announced late 2019 and was run on an Indiegogo platform. Sub $1000 for an Anamorphic piqued my interest. With the Corona Virus kicking off in China the manufacturing was delayed and delivery dates were pushed back. So after ordering really early January the lens finally turned up Mid April.
Solid build construction and Smooth Aperture ring. I was keen to try it out. Headed into town at dusk with just the lens and a pretty basic tripod and captured some footage. Here it is – no grading done to it -> straight out of camera. I really need to get into the practice of writing down F stops used as that info is not recorded in EXIF obviously. More testing and comments coming in the next few days
There were a LOT of bands that I managed to see some of at Womadelaide, but a few stood out that were memorable and the first one to go into more depth was Ifriqiyya Electrique. I saw the first part of their Saturday set during the daytime on stage 3 and the description in the program which I don’t always agree with was pretty well spot on. The Sound is Heavy and Hypnotic with lots of Chanting and the stage presence of all 4 members is very photogenic. The weather was heating up but the guitarist was still sporting a black scarf draped over his Black jacket. Acoustically the music is assaulting to the senses. It is heavy, grinding, pumping and almost hypnotic and when I saw they had a set on Monday night also I locked it in.
Combining their sound with background images of Refugees/ poverty and other confronting topics worked superbly and ended up being one of my Festival highlights
I’ve seen Montaigne perform live three times already and she is a very capable performer and up to the task of representing AUS at Eurovision. The first time I saw her live was at Womadelaide in 2017. I was blown away by her energy and was the highlight of the first night for me
And then I caught her at Groovin the Moo in the same year 2017 sporting a “Goodies ” T Shirt
and then finally at an Adelaide Uni gig in I think 2018.
No Montaigne is NOT at Womadelaide in 2020 but you never know who you might see at Womadelaide that goes onto bigger things.
The Annual Womadelaide Music arts and Dance is rapidly approaching over the 4 days Friday 6th March until Monday 9th March at Botanic park in Adelaide. There is always a healthy mix of performers, some more mainstream and others maybe not so well known, but you are guaranteed to always have a good experience given the diversity.
I am fortunate enough to have been covering Womadelaide for Craftypics Media since 2008 which was the last time Mavis Staples played at Womad. Hard to believe it was 10 years ago but it was a memorable performance from the Grammy award winner.
Another performer who hasnt previously played Womadelaide but did represent Australia at Eurovision is Kate Miller Heidke. I have seen her perform thrice at the Gov in 2008, 2009 and 2012 and her vocal range and delivery is nothing short of breathtaking
The Cat Empire are also back in 2020. They seem to make a regular appearance at Womadelaide over the years. I’d go as far as to say they have played more Womadelaide events than any other band ?. Ive captured them at both Womadelaide over the years and at Thebarton Theatre
Then of course there is the Myriad of other artists that I need to listen to prior to March so that I can plan which stages to get to. For the Full Lineup in 2020 check out the Womadelaide 2020 Website
One of the big drawcards for the Adelaide Superloop 500 Final race day on Sunday was the Lineup of the Red Hot Chilli Peppers playing the after race concert. So much so that a lot of people bought tickets to the “race” but only went to the concert and boy was it packed. I got to the stage mid way through the Support Act – George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic but could still only manage to get as far as about 50 metres from the stage area but still managed a handful of usable photos only pulling the camera out a few times during the relatively short 90 minute set. To View full gallery CLICK ME
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