Artists / Ngā kaitoi

AMJAD ALI KHAN (INDIA)

Amjad Ali Khan is one of the undisputed masters of the music world. Born to sarod maestro Haafiz Ali Khan, Amjad is widely credited with re-inventing the technique of playing the sarod. Performing as a trio with his sons, Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash, both renowned sarod players themselves, their music is an exhilarating blend between East and West. Fri, 8.15pm, Gables stage Sat, 7.30pm, Dell stage Artists Ngā kaitoi

A–Z

ANGELIQUE KIDJO (BENIN)

In 1980 Talking Heads’ Remain in Light album, heavily influenced by the music of West Africa, caught the attention of a young Angelique Kidjo in Paris. Hearing it again years later sparked the idea of a full circle deconstruction that seemed only natural. Using Afrobeat horns and percussion, and infusing the lyrics with new meaning, Grammy Award-winning Angelique brings her stunning twist on a classic album to WOMAD in March. Sat, 10.30pm, TSB Bowl stage BALOJI (DR CONGO / BELGIUM)

Born in the Democratic Republic of Congo but raised in Belgium, Baloji is a musician, film director and innovative artist. He infuses his heady cocktail of futuristic funk with soul, rap and Congolese soukous with a poetic political punch, that will appeal not only to your feet, but your head and heart as well. Fri, 8.15pm, TSB Bowl stage Sun, 3pm, Todd Energy Brooklands stage

BCUC (SOUTH AFRICA)

Imbibed with the spirit of Fela Kuti, this ‘Afropsychedelic’ ensemble blend stirring harmony vocals with extended funk/rock jams that draw deeply on indigenous spiritual traditions. Expect to be mesmerised by startling, high-energy performances that in a short space of time have made them one of South Africa’s most successful musical exports. Fri, 6.15pm, TSB Bowl stage // Sun, 7.45pm, Todd Energy Brooklands stage

CHARLOTTE JOHANSEN

(AOTEAROA / NEW ZEALAND)

Charlotte Johansen has mastered the art of acoustic pop; writing lyrics that blend a sense of satire with everyday truth. She is known for turning her thoughts into catchy tunes and her performances into magical moments on stage. Career highlights include recording three albums, and opening for Dave Dobbyn and Shona Laing. Sat, 1pm, Dell stage

CONGRESS OF ANIMALS (AOTEAROA / NEW ZEALAND)

A star-studded collective of kiwi songwriters and solo artists have joined forces to bring you the epic supergroup that is Congress of Animals. It started as a jam session with friends from some of New Zealand’s best bands — including Trinity Roots and Fly My Pretties — and has blossomed into a full blown touring group with a thrilling, eclectic and upbeat feel. Sun, 7.45pm, Dell stage

Known as the Grande Dame of Amazonian Song, Dona Onete released her debut album when she turned 73 in 2014 — yet she’s been singing all her life. Dona Onete is a vivacious storyteller who joyously sings of love, sex and her life in the Amazon. Her sound is a unique twist on Carimbo, a blend of rhythms from native Brazilians, African slaves and the Caribbean. Sat, 7.30pm, Todd Energy Brooklands stage Sun, 12pm, Gables stage

FINN ANDREWS

(NEW ZEALAND / UNITED KINGDOM)

Critically acclaimed singer songwriter Finn Andrews is best known for his London-based band The Veils. Their explosive and emotive live shows make them one of New Zealand’s most revered exports. 2019 sees the long awaited debut solo album of Finn, who has been likened to both Nick Cave and David Bowie. Fri, 10.30pm, Gables stage Sat, 3pm, Todd Energy Brooklands stage

JAMIE SMITH’S MABON (WALES)

Jamie Smith was brought up playing Welsh folk tunes, but quickly embraced traditional sounds from all the Celtic countries. His compositions draw their influences from a deep knowledge base that isn’t bound to the past. Celebrating two decades of creating irresistible Celtic-inspired roots music, these are joyful, imaginative and bold tunes that are designed to move you. Fri, 7.15pm, Dell stage Sat, 8.30pm, Gables stage

“POP-UP DUETS (fragments of love)” is a series of exquisite contemporary dance duets designed for public spaces and ‘accidental audiences’. Borne of a desire by the late, award-winning choreographer Janis Claxton to make dance less intimidating, four dancers perform fleeting, romantic and playful duets, each centred around a different aspect of a relationship. Fri, 7.30pm, Gables Lawn Sat, 1.30pm and 5.45pm, Gables Lawn Sun, 1.30pm and 5.30pm, Gables Lawn

KORA (AOTEAROA / NEW ZEALAND)

Regarded as one of New Zealand’s most electric and sonically powerful live bands, Kora are back to wow this WOMAD. The five-piece band is known for their huge live presence, with vocal harmonies that sail on a powerhouse rhythm section. This diverse and energetic group fuse elements of reggae, rock, dub, roots and funk. Sun, 6.30pm, TSB Bowl stage

LA DAME BLANCHE (CUBA)

Singer, flutist and percussionist La Dame Blanche grew up in a strong musical family, her father is Jesus ‘Aguaje’ Ramos, trombonist extraordinaire and the artistic director of the Buena Vista Social Club. She moved to Paris to seek her own identity, exploring a world of sound and offers an explosive mix of hiphop, cumbia, dancehall and reggae. Sat, 5.15pm, Dell stage Sun, 10pm, Todd Energy Brooklands stage

LAS CAFETERAS (MEXICO / USA)

Las Cafeteras fuse Afro-Mexican, hip-hop, folk and First Nations rhythms into songs of activism and celebration. Generating a genre-bending sound and electric live performance with four versatile vocalists, their lyrically rich storytelling shares the hidden stories of migrant life in Los Angeles. Sat, 2pm, TSB Bowl stage // Sunday, 1pm, Todd Energy Brooklands stage

MAARJA NUUT & RUUM (ESTONIA)

MAALEM HAMID EL KASRI (MOROCCO)

The guembri is a distinctive instrument, a three-stringed bass lute found most in gnawa, the North African music of former black slaves. In the hands of Hamid El Kasri, the guembri travels the range of emotions, from mournful and melancholic to uplifting and celebrative. And as his fingers pick out their complex melodies, his deep, sonorous voice widens the emotion palette even further. Music that appears on the surface to be simple in fact boasts many layers and hidden depths. While Hamid is a maâlem, a master-musician charged with protecting a particular style, he also regularly shows ambition above and beyond, having collaborated with Austrian jazz legend Joe Zawinul, raï superstar Khaled and Justin Adams. He is a man at the peak of his powers. Sat, 4pm, Gables stage Sun, 4pm, TSB Bowl stage

The entrancing duo of Maarja Nuut & Ruum (Hendrik Kaljujärv) synthesises the soul of things; past, present and future. Playing with the murky zone between light and shadow, Maarja’s vocal experimentation, violin and looper complement Ruum’s abstract electronic soundscapes and envelop the listener. The Quietus called their 2018 collaboration “one of the year’s most beautiful journeys through inner and outer space”. Sat, 3pm, Dell stage Sun, 1pm, Dell stage

MC TALI (AOTEAROA / NEW ZEALAND)

New Zealand’s most famous drum and bass export MC Tali has become a prolific artist in the international electronic scene. Originally from a dairy farm in Taranaki, this multi award-winning MC is a fiercely talented freestyler and a soulful singer who has worked her magic with some of the biggest names in the drum and bass scene and toured the world several times over as both an MC and with a live band. Sat, 10.30pm, Gables stage

This Amsterdam-based trio play roots-driven hypnotic dance music. Without using computers or samples, they are purveyors of a grooveheavy amalgam of swampy blues, dirty funk, EDM and general psychedelic freakery. With over 400 shows on four continents under their belts during the past three years alone, they are a commanding live force that easily sustains the “organic, building energy of the tribal gatherings they reference so often in their music” (Counterfeit Magazine). Sat, 8.30pm, TSB Bowl stage Sun, 6.30pm, Gables stage

NADIA REID (AOTEAROA / NEW ZEALAND)

Nadia Reid has attained global success and claimed her place as one of the most evocative and profound young songwriters of the decade. With a richness of voice, a depth of emotion and wisdom beyond her years, Billboard Magazine has hailed her as the voice “saving folk music.” Fri, 7.15pm, Todd Energy Brooklands stage

NIKO NE ZNA (AOTEAROA / NEW ZEALAND)

Niko Ne Zna are a high-octane nine-piece musical extravaganza filled with wildly infectious rhythms and beautiful hypnotic melodies. It will be very hard to resist the urge to move and groove when this band starts playing their captivating original music, alongside beloved tunes from the Romani-soaked Balkan States. Sat, 6.15pm, Gables stage // Sun, 2pm, Gables stage

RIA HALL (AOTEAROA / NEW ZEALAND)

Ria Hall is a powerful performer, whose sought after live set has seen her play to audiences of thousands at a number of festivals across Australasia. Winning awards and critical acclaim, her sound fuses furious hip-hop beats and richly layered vocals in English and Te Reo Māori, creating an epic soundscape that embraces and challenges multiple genres. Sat, 12pm, Gables stage Sun, 3pm, Dell stage

REBETIEN (GREECE)

Rebetien performs songs mostly derived from the Rebetiko and the Greek traditional music repertoire, as well as compositions of their own. Their nostalgic sound is reminiscent of the gramophone era, often subtly combined with alternate, yet closely-related, musical styles of various Eastern Mediterranean and Balkan musical traditions. Sat, 2pm, Gables stage Sun, 5pm, Dell stage

(GERMANY)

DJ, singer, musician and producer Shantel has been breaking down musical and cultural barriers for 30 years; taking things out of their usual context and putting them into new ones. He injects gypsy brass and Balkan music into modern electronica, along with dub reggae, Turkish melodies and Viennese waltzes. By tracing his Romanian family lines and avoiding the path of the ‘photocopy DJ’ he delivers catchy, unpredictable global pop music. Sat, 9.30pm, Todd Energy Brooklands stage Sun, 8.45pm, TSB Bowl stage

SHARON SHANNON BAND (IRELAND)

This genre-defying accordion player has released 12 solo albums and from an early age was immersed in music, growing up with an all performing family in rural Ireland. She joined her first band at the age of eight and her first overseas tour at 14. It was joining The Waterboys in the late 1980s that ignited her career — her first solo album released shortly thereafter became the highest selling record by a traditional artist. Sat, 5pm, Todd Energy Brooklands stage Sun, 8.45pm, Gables stage

SILKROAD ENSEMBLE (VARIOUS)

Founded by superstar cellist Yo-Yo Ma, Silkroad Ensemble is a Grammy Award-winning collective of musicians and composers from more than 20 countries. Their sound is a vibrant odyssey-scale celebration of world music and the beauty of converging cultures and instruments — from tabla to bagpipes, shakuhachi to strings; a Silkroad performance is nothing short of exhilarating! Sat, 4pm, TSB Bowl stage // Sun, 12pm, TSB Bowl stage

SONA JOBARTEH (THE GAMBIA)

Sona Jobarteh is the first professional female virtuoso of the Kora (21-stringed African harp) to come from a West African Griot family. A pioneer in a male-dominated, 700-year-old hereditary tradition, she is a remarkable instrumentalist and singer. Jobarteh’s eclectic and intoxicating style has triggered international success and in 2018 she was awarded the prestigious Africa Festival Artist of the Year. Fri, 9.30pm, Dell stage Sat, 1pm, Todd Energy Brooklands stage

TAIWU ANCIENT BALLADS TROUPE

(TAIWAN)

It started with the visionary passion of teacher Camake Valaule and five students from Taiwu Elementary School, to document, perform and hold high the traditional songs of the Paiwan tribal villages. So far the troupe, now an 18-strong choir with band, has unveiled over 40 ancient songs that deal with love, work and ceremonies. They have been described as making “heavenly music that allows one to see the mountains and hear the breeze”. Sat, 12pm, TSB Bowl stage (choir with band) Sun, 4pm, Gables stage (choir only)

TEEKS (AOTEAROA / NEW ZEALAND)

Steeped in old-school soul and yet glimmering with golden moments that capture the strength of youth, 23-year-old Teeks is an artist with a big future. His velvety voice and boldly honest lyrics have already attracted a legion of devotees, as well as the title of New Zealand’s up and coming soul sensation. Fri, 6.15pm, Gables stage Sun, 5pm, Todd Energy Brooklands stage

(AOTEAROA / NEW ZEALAND)

Described by Rolling Stone magazine as “the Best Reggae band in the world right now”, the Black Seeds infuse their incredible live shows with raw energy and good vibes. While firmly based in the island grooves that inspired the birth of the band, The Black Seeds’ sound casts a wide net, layering funk, soul, Afrobeat, and other eclectic elements over dub and reggae. Sat, 6.15pm, TSB Bowl stage

Back by popular demand! One of WOMAD NZ’s most beloved performers of all time are coming back to wow us with their trademark sound of unique, genre-mashing alternative pop. The Correspondents – singer Mr Bruce and producer Chucks - create hi-octane, genreblending dance music. Mr Bruce scats rapidly and dances as though his life depends on it, whilst Chucks takes the audience on a journey through a smorgasbord of genres; from jazz and blues to electro and drum ‘n’ bass. With their unique aesthetic and insane energy, live shows by this duo live long in the memory. Fri, 9.30pm, Todd Energy Brooklands stage Sun, 2pm, TSB Bowl stage

THE ORIGINAL GYPSIES (FRANCE)

The Original Gypsies, featuring key founding members of the celebrated ‘80s group, The Gypsy Kings, are reunited after more than 20 years. Their fiery rumbas and furious flamenco will ignite hearts and feet, as they perform their much-loved songs with a 12-piece band that features no less than eight guitarists! The intense heat of their music hasn’t dropped a single notch; it’s still fuelled by glorious sandpaper vocals and joyous rhythms. Fri, 10.30pm, TSB Bowl stage