Thursday, July 11, 2024
Artists to Look Out for at WOMAD 2024
By Erin Cobby
Heading to WOMAD this year? The Malmesbury-set festival is back again on July 25-28 and there are plenty of artists in the line-up that we've featured in Songlines previously, as well as many that we really should.
With headliners including Amadou & Mariam, Gogol Bordello, Baaba Maal and Sampa the Great, and big names throughout like Leyla McCalla, WITCH, Yungchen Lhamo and Pat Thomas, we could recommend so many artists playing at the festival. But, to keep things interesting, here’s a quick guide to help you look behind the headliners and discover artists you might not have heard of before.
Gnawa Blues All Stars
The sacred trance music of Morocco's Gnawa has grown in popularity in recent years. So much so that artists have begun experimenting with the genre and taking it to new heights. One such group is the Gnawa Blues All Stars, who blend elements of the music with blues, reggae, jazz and Afrobeat, taking musical inspiration from places as far-flung as India and Venezuela.
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Moonchild Sanelly
Fresh from her appearance at Glastonbury, Moonchild Sanelly is bringing her bespoke blue hair and 'future ghetto funk' sound to WOMAD. Hailing from South Africa, hers is a voice which is rising in the electronica and Afro-punk scenes. Having collaborated with figures such as Beyoncé and Self Esteem, this South African powerhouse is unlikely to remain at non-headliner status for long.
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Nana Benz du Togo
Growing up in Togo, a few hours away from Benin and Nigeria, Nana Benz du Togo are the ecologically focused quintet you never knew you needed. Taking their name from the inspirational businesswomen of Togo in the 70s, they combine feminist energy with vodoun tradition and soul music, and, with the help of a Korg synth, create something which is powerful yet groovy.
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Mestizo
Founder of the infamous South-London jam Steam Down, Ahnansé, and Mambo Negro Records head and multi-instrumentalist Daniel Michel, have been bridging gaps between Colombia and London for the last four years. Reinventing Colombian folk traditions to fuse them with jazz and hip-hop, the result is an intense performance with powerful percussion, notes of electronica, and a touch of lyrical genius.
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Saigon Soul Revival
Do you ever wish you could have gone to Vietnam in the 60s? Well, now you can! Flying in from Ho Chi Minh City is the wonderful five-piece band, Saigon Soul Revival, who will transport you to the classic groovy sounds of this golden era.
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The Zawose Queens
A group which we featured in our Songlines #199, The Zawose Queens are a mother-daughter duo descended from the great Tanzanian musician Hukwe Zawose (a WOMAD regular). Following in his footsteps and embracing the polyphonic singing of the Gogo (aka Wagogo) people of central Tanzania, the pair also use electronic elements for spellbinding results.
For the full line-up and ticket info for WOMAD 2024 visit womad.co.uk
