In that wide field commonly known as world music, ancient traditions co-exist with cutting edge experiment. At Bristol’s intimate city-centre venue Strange Brew, the opening act, Mohammed Errebbaa (pictured below), a Gnawa master from Morocco, alone on stage with his gunbri, the lower-register string instrument, a distant cousin and ancestor of the American banjo, summoned the spirits that accompany trance and healing. He was opening for Ata Kak, a similarly well-travelled West African, whose strange bouncy music mixes electronics, frantic rap and scat, and traditional call-and response Read more ...

Squint and you could be in 1968 - although this lot are rather better dressed and healthier than most hippies. I did see a bumper sticker “The Hippies Were Right”. But though it seems retro, actually many here see this festival as a catalyst of an idealistic loved up eco friendly future.As an old arty punk, I am naturally sceptical of anything that could be called New Age - the new religions with dodgy gurus, the bad music that only works in expensive spas, the over-priced somatic cacao weekends and the like.But I keep being drawn back. Sure, there is some New Age nonsense but last time Read more ...

The latest in Peter Culshaw’s occasional radio shows with a global music bent is a post-WOMAD chat with one of its originators, who suggested the idea to his pal Peter Gabriel at the bar at a Talking Heads gig. The chat starts with WOMAD - Mark relies on recommendations of what to see from younger family members, like José González (pictured above) who graced the stage on the Sunday of teh festival.Mark, also an esteemed theartsdesk contributor, has had an amazing and productive past, notably doing a series of ground-breaking music documentaries, from an on-the-road film with the Kursaal Read more ...

FRIDAY 24 JULY, by Guy OddyEven for a festival whose whole purpose is to platform a rich range of artists from cultures all around the world, WOMAD 2026 is seriously on top of its game for a new start at a new venue deep in the heart of rural Wiltshire. The 2000-acre Neston Park, created in the 1790s, proved a beautiful setting that mirrored the excellent acts and fine weather. It's certainly no Womud and sunscreen is at something of a premium during long summer days. Image Similarly, the food on offer is consistently off-the-hook and the Read more ...

The Fez Festival of World Sacred Music has been peerless over the years in presenting world/global music acts in one magical place. Only WOMAD is a serious rival as a long-established global music fest.Fez is also special in another way, the city has miles of car-free winding alleys in the medina that make you feel like you are in a time machine spun back several centuries. It’s slightly easier not to get totally lost since GPS arrived but I still managed it several times.It has a reputation as one of the Islamic world’s great spiritual cities, you feel the energy of the Sufi saints in the Read more ...

In the delirious and exhilarating Sephardic dance that finished their concert devoted to the Jewish, Muslim and Christian music of Jerusalem, one of the Apollo’s Fire fiddlers seemed to be playing – so my companion spotted – some Led Zeppelin riffs. In which case, the Chicago- and Cleveland-based Baroque orchestra had achieved a sort of cross-genre full house, or music classifier’s utter nightmare. File under: ClassicalFolkWorldJazz... Rock.  The night before, however, the Bach Double Violin Concerto had skipped and flown through St Martin-in-the-Fields with bravura elegance as much Read more ...

The Kurdish singer Aynur opened her current European tour in Bristol, presenting music that's rooted in ancient tradition but explores contempoary sonorities and styles while keeping the music of her people vibrant and alive.On arriving at the venue, it felt as if the place had been magically transplanted to the Middle East. The audience was predominantly Kurdish, and many of the excited crowd, posing for selfies and photographs in the entrance area, were wearing festive traditional gear – brightly coloured and sequined dresses, extravagant headscarves and some turbans for the women, the men Read more ...

When David Byrne made a mention of heroes and superheroes, one audience member could not resist. "Like you" they yelled out, and while the former Talking Heads singer might not be able to leap buildings in a single bound, his current creative hot streak is a nifty power indeed. Several years on from his terrific American Utopia tour, and Byrne is back on the road with a 12-piece backing band and a seemingly empty stage. To begin with, he was joined by only three musicians for a pared back "Heaven", the Talking Heads track from 1979, but it wasn't long until more and more started arriving Read more ...

Catrin Finch has been at the top her field for a long time now. The Welsh harpist was appointed to the ancient office of Royal Harpist by Prince Charles in 2000, was nominated for a Classical Brit Award in 2004 and her World Music collaborations with Seckou Keita resulted in their winning the 2019 BBC Radio 2 Folk Award for Best Duo. After her three acclaimed albums with Keita, she released the striking Double You with Irish fiddler and classical violinist Aoife Ni Bhrian in 2023. And now, striking out with her first solo album in a decade, she turns to her self – in fact, to her 13-year Read more ...

Gorillaz return with The Mountain, a release that feels like a defining chapter in the band’s long evolution. After years of restless experimentation and high profile collaborations, this record sounds purposeful and reflective. It carries the playful unpredictability fans expect, yet there is a deeper emotional current running beneath the surface.From the opening moments, the album establishes a sweeping and cinematic tone. Layers of electronic production blend with organic instrumentation from Anoushka Shankar, creating a sound that feels both expansive and intimate. Elements of alternative Read more ...

One of the great problems with modern music criticism is that it hasn’t got past the models of the second half of the last century, and this leads to some very serious seeing-the-woods-for-the-trees oversights. In particular “we” still haven’t left behind the conception that a movement only exists if it has a moment: an Elvis on the Ed Sullivan show, a be-in at Haight Ashbury, a Sex Pistols at the 100 Club. Which means that, because it can’t be pinned down to a particular time and place, a very, very recent shift that is way bigger than rock’n’roll, psychedelia or punk doesn’t even have a Read more ...

The opening track  – “Ālibek’agnimi” (“አልበቃኝም” in its original title) – is a cool, close-to six-minute soul instrumental on which the organ suggests an at-least passing familiarity with Booker T. Jones. The tempo is slow, the moodiness enhanced by a smoky, wandering saxophone.Next, the similarly lengthy “Ānichī keto gidi yeleshimi” (“አንቺ ከቶ ግድ የለሺም”). Slightly less leisurely, its clipped guitar follows a reggae pattern. Again, despite a section of keyboard vamping and stabbing brass, the saxophone is what stands out. Wandering up and down the scale it then settles, fusing Read more ...