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WOMAD restored my faith in festivals
Yet, as I pulled-up through the leafy woods of Charlton Park, my anxieties evaporated. Flags fluttered in the bucolic camping vale. The toilets were spotless. For every old hippy there was a pack of horny, drunk teenagers. For every tie-dyed jacket there was a pair of skinny jeans. It was how Michael Jackson imagined Utopia - the cool and uncool, old and young, black and white dancing in harmony.
Dub Colossus Offer
For a limited period the WOMADSHOP are giving away a copy of 'A Return to Addis' EP, Dub Colossus EP and 'A Town Called Addis' CD with the purchase of a Dub Colossus T Shirt. The T shirt which is 100% cotton is available in Small, Medium and Large.
Charlie Winston on ITunes Live London Festival 09
Charlie Winston's appearance at the ITunes Live London Festival 09 is now available to purchase from the ITunes store at a special price. This offer is available in the UK, USA and other selected ITunes stores worldwide.
For Charlie's fans in France, this release will be coming soon to ITunes France!
Click the link below to buy:
Charlton Park on Flickr
Lots of people were busy with their cameras at this years event:
Frank Drake's Sounds of Music
'Sounds of Music' - a book of photography by Frank Drake was released on July 17th and WOMADSHOP are selling the title both in paperback and hardback editions. The first 200 hardbacks are signed and numbered by Frank Drake himself.
To accompany the book, a compilation entitled 'Sounds Of Music: A musical companion to Frank Drake's Sounds of Music' has also been released. This compilation features songs recorded by artists featured in the book and includes S.E Rogie, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Geoffrey Oryema and Little Axe.
The compilation is included when you buy the hardback book on CD. The paperback comes with instructions to download the compilation of artists featured in the book at a special price.
However for a limited time, paperback copies will include a copy of the compilation on CD, so hurry while stocks last!
Also available are exclusive sets of cards of photographs.
Frank Drake has been working as a professional photographer for most of his life and was the official photographer at WOMAD festivals from its early years. This remarkable book includes images of and quotes from many legendary figures who have had a huge impact on western music.
The images range from live pictures and album covers to more formal portraits and spontaneous backstage shots capturing the vibrancy and energy of the festivals. But mostly it is about the musicians themselves, the quotes accompanying the photographs help to develop the sense of the greater role that music plays in our society and effects it can have on both musician and listener.
In the Foreword to the book Peter Gabriel suggests that: 'Music is a universal language and is one of the most effective tools in the fight against racism'.
Please follow the links below to the WOMADSHOP to buy the book!
Dub Colossus at Edinburgh Festival
Dub Colossus will be making their debut at this years' Edinburgh Festival with a residency as A Town Called Addis at the World @ St George's West between 6th and 26th August.
This extraordinary event will transport you to the music halls and smoky night clubs of Addis Ababa, their show will incorporate a wide range of musical styles from Azmari (traditional Ethiopian) songs, Ethiojazz, 70's reggae to Afropop.
The group played sold out shows at the Barbican last year and at the Glastonbury festival, more recently they have played successful gigs at Roskilde and WOMAD.
To buy tickets for the concerts please follow the link below.
Also click below to go to the artists page on Real World Records and also to the Dub Colossus myspace site.
Real World Artists perform at WOMAD 2009
WOMAD 2009 was a resounding success and featured several appearances by Real World Records artists. From the grasslands of China to the nightclubs of Ethiopia there was a fantastic variety of musical styles on display.
Friday 24th July saw a mesmerising afternoon set in the Big Red Tent by Dub Colossus who brought their inimitable mix of dub and Azmari singing to the masses. This was followed later in the evening in the Siam Tent by a focused set by Portico Quartet, whose new album 'Isla' will be released by Real World Records on October 19th. Their dark and atmospheric mix of hang drum, saxophone, double bass and drums had the crowd transfixed.
Saturday 25th July saw Mamer play the first of two sets of the weekend in the Siam tent at 2pm. At 3pm Spiro played to a packed Big Red Tent where the whole audience was rapt as they played songs from their recent release 'Lightbox'. At 5pm, The Black Swan Effect rocked the Big Red Tent with their fresh guitar driven indie-rock, Peter Gabriel was spotted enjoying the band.
9.30 on the Main Stage and headliner Peter Gabriel came on as the ominous tones of 'Zaar' from 'Passion' (the first record to be released on Real World Records incidentally) drifted across the crowd. This was followed by a great set-list which mixed new covers (Paul Simon's 'The Boy in the Bubble') with hits ('Steam' and 'Solsbury Hill') and a rare performance during the encore of 'Biko'.
Sunday 26th July and Mamer played a fabulous set on the Radio 3 stage in the early afternoon which saw half of the crowd rush into the nearby Songlines tent to buy copies of his recent release 'Eagle' and get their copies signed by Mamer himself!
Our last Real World Artist to play was rising star Charlie Winston who played a wonderful set in the Big Red Tent which saw the crowd singing along to his instantly catchy songs. Surely his huge success in France is to be repeated on these shores?
Special Summer Holiday Offer on Tower Festival Tickets
As a Summer Holiday Special Treat...
WOMAD Presents at the Tower Festival is offering 2 tickets for the price of 1
...And Kids (aged 13 and under) go free!*
From The Imagined Village to Nathan Flutebox Lee to The Bays and The Heritage Orchestra, these artists will bring you jaw dropping talent, stunning originality, dramatic diversity, lots of dancing and a very memorable weekend.
The 19th and 20th September 2009 promises to be one great musical experience.
(*Offer starts as of the 4th August. Children 13 and under must be accompanied by an adult)
'The Real World of Peter Gabriel' Documentary Broadcast in France and Germany on Arte TV
A new documentary entitled 'The Real World of Peter Gabriel' directed by Georg Maas and Dieter Zeppenfeld will be broadcast simultaneously in Germany and in France on Arte TV next Thursday, 6th of August at 11.20pm. The documentary will also be broadcast on Sunday 9th of August at 12.55pm.
The film was inspired by the 20th Anniversary of Real World Records and the release of last years long gestating collaborative album 'Big Blue Ball'. This record was a result of some of the legendary 'Real World Recording Weeks' which took place in the 1990's, where musicians from all over the world would get together and make music. The film gives an insight on the extraordinary atmosphere in which these sessions were held and also on the philosophy of Real World on the process of recording with producers and artists that come from different cultural backgrounds.
Peter Gabriel himself got personal insights on the social and political conditions and problems in many countries by working with musicians from all around the world. In consequence he initiated political initiatives for Human Rights, like 'Witness' and 'The Elders'
The filmmakers spent time at Real World going through the archives, filming interviews with key staff, including Peter Gabriel himself and also watching a recording session as it took place - 'Syriana' - a forthcoming project on Real World Records.
Follow the links below to the Big Blue Ball artist page and to Arte TV.
If you are in Europe on Thursday or Sunday make sure you tune in to this fabulous documentary!
Charlie Winston Invades the UK
Keen eyes and ears may have noticed that Charlie Winston has been somewhat in the public eye of late in the UK. He appeared on GMTV last Thursday with a star-making performance of forthcoming single 'In Your Hands' as well as a recent storming gig at WOMAD on the Sunday.
If you follow the link below you can see that Charlie has been featured in an article on the BBC website entitled '10 famous Britons you've probably never heard of ', no doubt this will be changing in the coming months!
Mr Winston has also been in articles in The Sun, Daily Mail, Hello Magazine, The Independent, The London Standard, The Telegraph and The Times. Click the links below for a selection:
Follow these pages for more Charlie Winston news!