The wait is over for the WOMADelaide faithful for the 2020 festival, to be presented over 6-9 arch 2020 in the picturesque surrounds of Adelaide’s Botanic Park. Led by the exclusive Australian show from eight-time Grammy winner Ziggy Marley,
From his early immersion in the music industry, as he sat in on recording sessions with his father, reggae legend Bob Marley, Ziggy Marley has gone on to release eight records with The Melody Makers and seven solo albums, four of which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Reggae Album Charts. Amongst his many awards is a Grammy for Best Children’s Album for his first children’s album Family Time in 2009 and a daytime Emmy for his track I Love You Too, which shares its title with his 2012 debut children’s book. Joining Marley is the darling of modern folk, singer-songwriter Laura Marling from the UK. Winner of the 2011 Brit Awards for Best British Female Solo Artist and Best New Artist at the 2011 NME awards, Marling has gone on to release seven studio albums. Her maiden performance at WOMADelaide will be a stripped-back solo set.
Also Leading the festival is living musical legend, civil rights icon, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and Grammy Award-winner, Mavis Staples. Hailed by NPR as “one of America’s defining voices of freedom and peace,” Staples is the kind of once-in-a-generation artist whose impact on music and culture would be difficult to overstate.
‘The Golden Voice of Africa’, Salif Keita (Mali), returns to WOMADelaide with a cracking eight-piece band as part of his farewell tour, celebrating 50 years of music and 70 years of life. From humble beginnings with the Rail Band of the Train Station Hotel in Bamako and a life of tribulations as an albino, Keita’s latest album Autre Blanc (Another White) calls on the world to celebrate difference.
Fresh from the release of their seventh studio album and a tour of Europe that included two shows at Glastonbury, The Cat Empire return to WOMADelaide for an unprecedented fifth appearance. Over 17 years, the band has come to be considered ‘family’, growing up with the festival since their first show at WoZone, the festival’s late night club, in 2003. In 2020 the adored headliners will close the main stage on 6 March.
Orquesta Akokán (Cuba) a stunning big band that redefines the golden era of Cuban Mambo, morphing Havana with the creative and talented spirit of the NY Latin scene, the USA’s master of lo-fi, underground rock, Bill Callahan, best known under the band name Smog, and Australia’s Grammy-nominated Hiatus Kaiyote with a new album on the way, joining New Zealand’s indie superstar Aldous Harding.
Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, David Ridgway said the calibre of the artists announced reinforced Adelaide’s position as a UNESCO City of Music.
“This is just a taste of the WOMADelaide line-up and we can already see why this event remains the best – showcasing such a wonderfully eclectic, diverse program of global sounds, sights, flavours and ideas,” he said.
“We are bringing the best of the world’s most creative musicians, dancers and artists right into the heart of Adelaide, and it is going to be another amazing celebration for everyone to embrace.”
The aerial spectacular As the World Tipped, a politically charged and environmentally focused work for our times by renowned UK company, Wired Aerial Theatre to be presented nightly in Frome Park. Towering 13 metres above the audience, As the World Tipped is an exceptionally ambitious and beautifully crafted aerial performance where dance and theatrics entwine with extraordinary projections which illustrate the very real and immediate realities of climate change.
WOMADelaide Director, Ian Scobie said that he was excited with the stature of program being unveiled today.
“We are thrilled to be announcing a program which includes artists at the peak of their craft exemplified by Salif Keita and Mavis Staples, as well as Orquesta Akokán – a stunning tribute to the Cuban big band era – and a powerful call to arms on climate change in As the World Tipped,” said ‘The King of Samba Rock’, Jorge Ben Jor. One of the biggest stars of Brazilian music, Jorge Ben Jor became a global sensation in 1963, with the release of his first album and the smash hit Mas Que Nada. His smooth and distinctive mix of samba with Bossa nova, funk, pop and rock placed him at the forefront of the ‘jovem guarda’ (young guard) and ‘tropicalia’ (tropical-psychedelia) movements. Also included is Australia’s acclaimed Kate Miller-Heidke who effortlessly glides between the worlds of contemporary pop, folk and opera and PNG/AUS force of nature, Ngaiire whose striking live shows fuse fashion, art and music. Venezuela’s Los Amigos Invisibles, celebrated for their explosive live shows with their acid jazz, cheeky disco-funk and Latin grooves, return after a decade. UK MC General Levy, best known for his defining drum n bass hit Incredible and work with Shaggy, Desmond Dekker and Sly & Robbie, brings his staccato vocals and creative twists through jungle, ragga and calypso and, leading the late-night DJ sessions are techno producer Misstress Barbara(Italy/Canada) and disco/electro maestro Greg Wilson (UK) whose careers have seen them play almost every major music festival worldwide.
“WOMADelaide plays host to an incredible program of traditional and contemporary music, arts and dance from around the world,” said WOMADelaide Director, Ian Scobie. “Being able to bring together such diverse artforms – from spiritual and trance music to folk and funk music, contemporary dance and theatrical site performances and circus – in the space of only four days, in such a beautiful environment, is what keeps this festival so vibrant. It is a one-of-a-kind event and our 21st edition is no exception.
WOMADelaide 2020 will be held from 6-9 March in Botanic Park, Adelaide, South Australia.
