WOMAD Drops Its Artist Lineup for 2018

Dance knee-deep in a pond to afro-funk, metal-folk and punk performed on ouds, koras and squeeze boxes.
Stephen Heard
Published on October 19, 2017

Three-day world music, arts and dance festival, WOMAD, is best known for its eclectic spread of artists. Across a comfortable 55-acres of lush parkland, it's a festival to discover artists from far-off countries, hear instruments you had no idea existed on planet earth and speak the universal language of dance, possibly knee-deep in the onsite pond. Freshly announced, next year's bill follows that formula to a T.

Artist spanning Chile, Lebanon, Mauritania and beyond will fly in for the concert at New Plymouth's Brooklands Park next March to deliver a blend of traditional and modern performances. A melting pot of genres will be on show, including folk, afro-funk, hip hop, classical, jazz and punk rock performed on violins, ouds, koras and squeeze boxes.

In addition to already announced acts, Kamasi Washington, Anoushka Shankar and Dragon, the lineup features: UK dub pioneer Adrian Sherwood, Mexico heavy metal-inspired acoustic duo Rodrigo y Gabriela, Brazilian afrobeat ten-piece Bixiga 70, Israel hip hop star Victoria Hanna, Chilean political-punk-poet Nano Stern and Ghanaian Jojo Abot who seamlessly blends electronica, indie-soul, reggae and hip hop.

WOMAD 2018 LINEUP

Adrian Sherwood (UK)
Aldous Harding (NZ)
Anoushka Shankar (India/UK),
Bixiga 70 (Brazil)
Chico Trujillo (Chile)
Constantinople (Canada)
Daymé Arocena (Cuba)
Dragon (NZ)
Ghada Shbeir (Lebanon)
Havana Meets Kingston (Jamaica/Cuba)
Hopetoun Brown (NZ)
Jamie McDowell & Tom Thum (Australia)
Jojo Abot (Ghana/USA)
Kamasi Washington (USA)
Lemon Bucket Orkestra (Canada)
Le Vent Du Nord (Canada),
My Bubba (Sweden/Iceland)
Nano Stern (Chile)
Noura Mint Seymali (Mauritania)
Pat Thomas & Kwashibu Area Band (Ghana)
Rahim Alhaj Trio (Iraq)
Rodrigo y Gabriela (Mexico)
Spooky Men's Chorale (Australia)
The Miltones (NZ)
The Slacks (NZ),
Thievery Corporation (USA)
Tinariwen (Mali)
Victoria Hanna (Israel)
Violons Barbares (France/Mongolia/Bulgaria)

WOMAD New Zealand 2018 will take place at Brooklands Park, New Plymouth, from March 16 to 18. For more information and tickets, visit the WOMAD website

Published on October 19, 2017 by Stephen Heard
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