Womad 2015: The definitive review

Sinead O'Connor in full voice at Womad 2015 in New Plymouth.Picture/Glenn Jeffrey

Between Romanian brass bands, Saharan rock groups and Sinead O'Connor going out for a duck, the 2015 Womad festival proved to be one of the best in years

It's no surprise that two acclaimed acts on the opening night of this Womad festival should be so diametrically different.

One was England's Richard Thompson and his electrifying trio who opened with the furiously angry Stuck on a Treadmill and Sally B from his most recent album Electric, went into his back-catalogue (an acoustic 1952 Vincent Black Lightning and an incendiary For Shame of Doing Wrong), offered a song about Amsterdam from his forthcoming album and closed with a tough treatment of Tear Stained Letter.

The other end of the spectrum were the gently hypnotic sounds of Indian singer Meeta Pandit whose beguilingly melodic songs - some dating back to the Mughal era - seduced the early evening audience into a quiet reverie.

Festival goers dance in the sun at Womad 2015 in New Plymouth. Photo/Glenn Jeffrey

Between - and beyond - those poles is the essence of a Womad festival, where artists of enormous musical and cultural diversity find receptive, appreciative audiences.

If there's been a disappointing feature of recent Womads it's that some headliners (Hugh Masekela, Femi Kuti) have been past their best.

Youssou N'Dour was another. There was no upward trajectory to his curiously subdued set just diverting moments - the acrobatic dancer, talking drum solo and so on - where N'Dour was often incidental.

His most recognisable hit Seven Seconds was given a perfunctory treatment. It all felt lacklustre and disjointed.

Not so others on the main stage.

The Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club may have started quiet but by adding members, introducing the remarkable 84-year old singer Omara Purtuondo, kicking in with their signature song Chan Chan and creating a playful but emotional programme they won the huge audience while behind them images from their remarkable past played out.

Folk Rock legend Richard Thompson performs at Womad 2015 in New Plymouth. Photo/Glenn Jeffrey

Equally impressive was Rufus Wainwright who delivered a well-judged set and offered, among other delights, Out of the Game, his mother Kate McGarrigle's Work Song, Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah (cue resounding applause and a singalong) and won the massive audience with his humour, crisp articulation and soaring or intimate voice.

He got a well deserved standing ovation.

Bombino from Niger brought a powerful rock sound from the Sahara (sometimes sounding like Cream's version of Crossroads hotwired into some North African outlet) and both Balkan Beat Box and Jupiter with Okwess International offered sets for those who can dance for an hour and "jump jump".

Most attention alighted on Sinead O'Connor's sole appearance and - barefoot, in a dog collar and wearing a large crucifix - she was in excellent form, opened with John Grant's Queen of Darkness, mostly flicked into songs from her new Bossy/Boss album which seemed unfamiliar to the huge audience (otherwise her terrific Take Me To Church would have been a singalong) and was clearly enjoying herself.

She closed with a lovely solo version of Streetcars before bringing the band back for the much anticipated Nothing Compares 2 U. She got through two verses, was distracted by a duck on the pond before her, burst out laughing and called it a night.

Brazilian songstress Flavia Coelho performs at Womad 2015. Photo/Glenn Jeffrey

A real highpoint. Others? The energetic Malawi Mouse Boys - perilously close to twerking at one point - with their folk-gospel harmonies and cardboard box percussion; the drama, melodrama, tension and release of Puerto Flamenco who brought the passionate and melancholy spirit of Spain to an enormously appreciative crowd, and Romania's big, boisterous Fanfare Ciocarlia from Romania mixing brass band, gypsy jazz and raucous covers (Born to be Wild?).

Lake Street Dive won their capacity crowd with literate lyrics and songs rooted in classic soul with a hint of jazz, and singer Rachael Price's alluring stage presence.

Local artists did exceptional well: Tahuna Breaks offered astute, slick and enjoyable sets of soul-funk grooves; singer-songwriter Mel Parsons confidently held her large audience with a captivating set of recent work and impressive new material ; Estere's quirky stage presence and multilayered electro-pop was much appreciated, and Flip Grater's songs of hushed European elegance and Cohen-esque lyrics made her a talking point. Quite a star.

The Irish group The Gloaming divided opinion, I thought their set misread the occasion and any time the tempo went up the crowd was poised to dance . . . but no. Intelligent, thoughtful and not a little academic, their music was more suited to the concert chamber than an outdoor concert.

Youssou N'Dour from Senegal performs at Womad 2015. Photo/Glenn Jeffrey

The sensible removal of the bar near the Dell Stage allowed for a larger audience, but even that extra space couldn't accommodate the crowd for the legendary Toumani Diabate and his son Sidiki.

Their performance of elegantly interweaving lines on their 21-string koras sat between an Elizabethan lute and harpsichord recital (until at the end when young Sidiki busted out his electro hip-hop chops).

An equally large crowd appeared for the intense, sad but celebratory music of Palestinian Ramzi Aburedwan.

Both were memorable performances.

The last music of the weekend came from the hugely popular English duo Public Service Broadcasting whose mix of live instruments, samples and film footage (on a screen that was the size of classroom whiteboard?) was as much a pleasure to watch as to dance to.

They closed with their piece Everest, which was a nice touch.

It was disappointing the Artists in Conversation programme was dropped as many of these musicians have important stories to tell, and the receptive Womad audience deserves the opportunity to hear them.

Other than that, it was - with a few exceptions - one of the strongest line-ups in years. And under blue Taranaki skies this was the first sell-out since 2007.

It deserved to be.

* What did you think of Womad 2015? Post your comments below.