WOMAD NZ 2022 Adds 16 More Performers To Line-Up for its 17th presentation at Ng?motu’s stunning Brooklands Park and the TSB Bowl of Brooklands.
The internationally established three-day music, arts and dance festival is known for its exciting and diverse line-up and next year’s event is no exception. WOMAD NZ is poised to deliver a musical melting pot of Bulgarian Vocal, Cinematic Jazz, Latin Funk-Soul, Japanese drumming, Balkan Gypsy, Classical Indian music and dance, Americana, Jazz, Hip Hop, Soul RnB, Roots, Dub Fusion and Afro-funk. Bookworms and science buffs can wallow in talks of art, feminism, solo-yachting, bugs and stand-up comedy.
Praise for the festival: “The place reverberated under the mighty watch of Mount Taranaki with the kind of passion that only comes from the sheer celebration of diversity…most acts put on repeat performances over the weekend allowing you the chance to customise an itinerary that would rival an around the world music trip.” – Rosie Morrison, The Spinoff.
WOMAD audiences can rejoice as the festival brings back some of its most loved performers alongside some making their WOMAD debut; Queens of Aotearoa’s Country music and comedy; Topp Twins, Dub Fusion elite; Salmonella Dub, RnB cultural warrior; Ria Hall, Neo-Soul-Jazz artist; Hollie Smith, and contemporary super-group; Fly My Pretties.
Keeping the delight of WOMAD’s discovery element alive, the other new artists added are; Acapollinations (Bulgarian Vocal), Bobby Brazuka (DJ), Carnivorous Plant Society (Cinematic Jazz), IPU Kodama Japanese Drum Team (Drum Troupe), Latinaotearoa (Latin Soul Funk), Lord Echo (DJ), Niko Ne Zna (Balkan Gypsy), SW MP THÏNG (Americana Blues & Roots), Weird Together (World Fusion Beats) and Yaw Asumadu and Ozi Ozaa (Afro-funk).
These 16 join the already announced Jazz-Hip-Hop mastermind Avantdale Bowling Club, modern R&B extraordinaire, Deva Mahal, festival favourites, Fat Freddy’s Drop, and the stunning collaboration of New Zealand and Indian musicians, Shades of Shakti.
The World of Words Stage is adding comedian and author of New Zealanders A Field Guide; Tom Sainsbury.
The full line-up announcement for World Of Words is coming on October 31, and the final OMV STEAM Lab programme is being announced on December 3, 2021. Taste The World, Kidzone, and Te Pae Pae will also return with programming to be announced.
MEET YOUR 2022 WOMAD MUSICAL ARTISTS
MUSICAL ARTISTS
Acapollinations
This a cappella trio performs hauntingly sassy adaptations of Balkan Polyphony, with an Aotearoa improvisation twist. Zesty irregular rhythms, stirringly close harmony and the evocative voices of Tui Mamaki (French-Kiwi), Chelsea Prastiti (Greek-Kiwi) & Siobhan Grace (Samoan-Kiwi) / Sally Howe (Cook-Island-Kiwi), make this a rare and compelling musical moment!.
Avantdale Bowling Club
The genre pushing jazz-hip hop project from Tom Scott has garnered global adoration (NPR, The Guardian) with the debut album topping the charts and award winning (Taite Music Prize). Joined by some of the country’s top musicians, Scott’s work has been recognised for its innovation and sheer brilliance.
Bobby Brazuka
DJ Bobby Brazuka is the unofficial Brazilian ambassador of music and culture in New Zealand.? Whether it’s DJing in clubs and bars around New Zealand and Australia or performing his live outfit with his soul sister Jennifer Zea aka Latinaotearoa in Festivals around Australasia, Bobby has become an iconic persona in Latin America and Oceania continents scenes.
Carnivorous Plant Society
A musical experience set with live animations.The talented quintet of accomplished musicians performs their original compositions that ignite the imaginations of both children and adults. Mexican mariachi mixes with spaghetti western; futuristic sci-fi blends with bizarre, spine-chilling nuances drawn from Stephen King novels.
Deva Mahal
Hawai’i-raised / Te Whanganui-a-Tara-based Deva Mahal’s modern soul sprawls into gospel & R&B with songwriting that reflects her roots as the daughter of blues legend Taj Mahal, but is succinctly her own version of musical expression punctuated her breathtaking vocal talent. Elton John is a fan.
Fat Freddy’s Drop
Internationally regarded as one of the world’s finest live draws, the band has navigated its way from the incubator of sunshine reggae through a colour-saturated field of soul psychedelia before layering & balancing analog techno jazz, R&B, disco to create magic on stage.
Fly My Pretties
Fly My Pretties are New Zealand’s favourite live collaborative group starring a selection of the country’s finest musicians and visual artists. Excited for their first show in Ng?motu since performing at Womad in 2013, their 2022 appearance will see a 15-strong cast from across their storied history appearing for a special one-off show.
Hollie Smith
Much loved Soul-singer and songwriter Hollie Smith is one of Aotearoa’s most recognisable artists of the 21st century. Alongside three number 1 solo albums, Hollie has scooped numerous awards, accolades, and acclaim and seen her voice become part of many iconic moments in New Zealand music history.
IPU Kodama Japanese Drum Team
The New Zealand Kodama Drum Team have been performing to local and international audiences since it was established in 1990. They are in high demand domestically, invited to attend and perform at school events, community ceremonies and festivals throughout New Zealand. Be prepared to be amazed by their stunning musicality, choreography, stamina and visual spectacle.
Latin Aotearoa
Brazilian born Auckland DJ, Bobby Brazuka, and Venezuelan singer Jennifer Zea created a unique live performance with Bobby’s Latin influenced soul-funk and hip hop selections layered with Jennifer’s ravishing vocals. Latinaotearoa wow with their four-piece band format, incredible Brazilian dancers and lighting shows.
Lord Echo
Lord Echo is a multi-instrumentalist producer and engineer, and DJ whose cult following started in Japan in the mid 2000’s. His DJ sets have taken him to clubs and festivals throughout Japan, Europe and Australasia and are by turns engaging, eclectic, ecstatic. While the sounds of Disco, Afro, Tropical and Reggae take the centre stage, a detour to the forgotten reaches of the musical landscape may be expected at any moment.
Mudra Dance
Characterised by exotic beauty and charm, the Indian Classical dance company Mudra Dance is a visual feast of brilliant sari colours, traditional headdresses of braids and flowers and the sparkle of gorgeous jewellery. Led by the dance luminary Vivek Kinra who has created and presented numerous new thematic dance productions to critical acclaim and large, growing audiences throughout New Zealand.
Niko Ne Zna
Niko Ne Zna is a world class hot and spicy taste of the old countries playing captivating original music as well as classic songs from the Romani-soaked Balkan States. Niko Ne Zna’s hypnotic melodies and wild, infectious rhythms will set even the most rhythmically challenged moving and grooving!
Ria Hall
Ria Hall is one of the most vital voices in NZ music, with a style and catalogue which show an artist willing to push boundaries. Combining both English & te reo M?ori vocals, Hall creates epic soundscapes which embrace & challenge multiple genres.
Salmonella Dub
Aotearoa’s multiple platinum-selling and award-winning Dub & Bass heavyweights make their first-ever appearance at WOMAD, bringing their signature live hallmarks of high passion, creativity, energy, driving bass beats and pure joy.
Shades of Shakti
A collaborative group of New Zealand and Indian musicians that exists in the space between traditional Indian music and jazz using some past examples of ‘East meets West’ collaborations from the likes of Ravi Shankar and Yehudi Menuhin, and John McLaughlin’s group Shakti, as well as original compositions.
SW MP THÏNG
This Americana, Blues & Roots band carries passion for world beat and alternative music combined with orchestral percussion training form SW MP THÏNG’S re-known energetic live performances that inspire festival-goers to dance and be entertained with their full throttle Americana venturing into improvisation and exploring wild moody guitar and percussive soundscapes.
Topp Twins
Needing no introduction to local audiences, in 2022, these iconic kiwi entertainers will celebrate 40 years as performers – making them New Zealand’s longest-running musical and comedy act and well-loved “national treasures”. WOMAD is honoured to welcome them back to the WOMAD stage and know our audience will revel in the enduring legacy of song, comedy and politics Dames Jools and Lynda Topp are set to deliver.
Weird Together
Weird Together represents a seamless blend of organic music discovery and collaboration. UK Producer/DJ Dick “Magik” Johnson is at the helm curating and producing the group’s eclectic global focused sound.
Yaw Asumadu & Ozi Ozaa
Ozi Ozaa is a 9 piece band packed full of funk & jazz with sweet highlife and traditional African rhythms. Led by Yaw Asumadu, a lauded Ghanaian master drummer, composer, African flautist, bass guitarist and xylophone player.
OMV STEAM Lab
Dr Siouxsie Wiles
One of the country’s most recognised and respected scientists, trained as a microbiologist. Most recently, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Siouxsie became one of the primary faces, communicators and educators in NZ, helping ease the public’s anxiety through lockdown and beyond. New Zealand Order of Merit, Blake Award, Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year 2021.
WORLD OF WORDS
Dick Frizzell
As part of the World of Words programme Dick will talk about his work “Me According to The History of Art” (Massey University Press 2020. As part of the STEAM programme, Dick will discuss his work “The Sun is a Star: A Voyage Through the Universe”.
Tom Sainsbury
Kiwis will recognise Tom from television shows Wellington Paranormal, Shortland Street, Educators, Sextortion and Sis. He is also a regular on Have You Been Paying Attention? and Give Us A Clue. In 2017 he rose to prominence doing short-form video content, satirising New Zealand politicians using the Snapchat App. He has toured his stand up comedy throughout New Zealand and has recently written a non-fiction book, New Zealanders A Field Guide, about all the kiwi characters he has met over the years.
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WOMAD NZ is back in full force with all of its eight stages that will feature close to 100 hours of music, with the diverse and rich range of talent that WOMAD go-ers have come to expect. Over three days of March 18-20, Ng?motu’s stunning Brooklands Park and the TSB Bowl of Brooklands will once again be transformed into a village of colour, energy and inclusion.
WOMAD New Zealand remains a place to bring people together to break down barriers, educate, inform and inspire.
Early bird tickets are on sale now at www.womad.co.nz
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