1997, however,
was for me the most satisfying Womadelaide of the decade , because they
finally managed to persuade my hero Richard Thompson to attend , as
well as Loudon Wainwright, Selif Keita, Shooglenifty, Afro Celt Sound
System , Paul Kelly , Midnight Oil and Fundamental. This was really
the year of the new wave of bands, mostly working in the folk rock idiom,
but effectively re-inventing the genre, so that they are not simply
re-treading the steps of Fairport or Steeleye Span, but creating new
and vital music that appeals to the young as well as some of the old
farts like myself. Radio broadcasts were better than in 95, full sets
by the minor artists on AM, but only snippets of the main acts were
featured on Zap Fm, a government sponsored radio station set up specially
for the festival.
In 1998 the festival trust put on a one day Womad at McClaren
Vale in the Southern wine growing area. It featured a solid line-up
of Shooglenifty , Geoffrey Oryema , Yulduz Usmanova and Papa Joh Gobateh,
but lacking a really well known headliner , facing some transport
problems and being at the end of the two week Adelaide festival, it
only attracted 3000 punters , therefore losing over $100.000, and the
experiment was not repeated
The 1999 Festival in contrast, was the best attended
yet, in fact ,we thought that if it got any bigger, it would lose some
of its appeal. This hasn't really happened , as the audience is , if
anything, more dedicated than in the 90s , a generation of children
has grown up attedning the festival and this is paid dividends in that
these kids a re knowlwdgeable and respectful of the music ,the grounds
and each other .Anyway 1999 had some great acts. Trilok Gurto and the
Glimpse, Yair Dalal , Gjallerhorn , Lliam O'Flynn, Lo Jo, Kila, The
Drummers of Berundi and the great Babba Maal.
Almost
perfect weather , great organization and excellent sound made this a
really good festival . Also , the ABC finally got its act together and
broadcast three hours of highlights on the TV , featuring
acts such as Babba and Gjallerhorn. Am radio also broadcast seven hours
of shows, although it was marred by talking by the announcers and cuts
for news which broke into the direct broadcasts by Baaba and the African
Gypsies.
2001
was HOT weather wise and also featured some great artists, the
return of Richard Thompson being a major highlight. Pato Banton, Afro
Celt Sound System, Csokolom , Bob Brozman, Giles Apap and Rokia Torre
were only a few of the artists who impressed the ever expanding crowds
that flocked to the park.
2003
was a significant year as it was the final year that the festival was
staged bi-annually , since then we have been fortunate to have the festival
EVERY year and its been great. 2003 had a host of great bands - Shooglenifty,
Rachid Taha, Cara Dillon,Cheikh Lo, Rizwan Muazzam Qawwalli and Bob
Brozman . Attendances were on the up and have been ever since, so that
by 2008 75,000 attended despite the intense heat ( 39c all three days
) .
2004 has been rather neglected
and there is little meaningful evidence that it ever existed on the
net. It was another
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