Last night, Wednesday October 18, at an esteemed event at The Grand Hall in Wellington's Parliament Buildings, surrounded by international delegates and WOMAD advocates, WOMAD NZ announced the 2018 artist line-up. 

The internationally established three day world music, arts and dance festival is known for its exciting and diverse line-up and next year’s event is no exception.

WOMAD NZ 2018 is a melting pot of folk, afro-funk, hip hop, classical, jazz and punk rock performed on violins, ouds, koras and squeeze boxes. With artists from countries as varied as Canada, Chile, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon and Mauritania delivering a blend of traditional and modern performances; expect diverse languages, cultures, harmonies and rhythms from the big names and to discover glorious artists you’ve never heard of.

Announced were familiar festival favourites; the pioneer of bass-dominant, dub flavoured dance tunes, UK’s Adrian Sherwood, the heavy metal inspired acoustic guitar duo from Mexico, Rodrigo y Gabriela and Washington D.C. based DJ collective, the uniquely diverse dub inspired Thievery Corporation.

Over the weekend Brooklands Park will ring with sounds from Brazilian 10 piece, Bixiga 70 and their dizzying heights of progressive Afrobeat, Tinariwen's scorching Mali desert blues and Havana Meets Kingston's sound-clash of reggae, dub and dancehall with salsa and rumba.

Lebanon’s soulful classically trained Ghada Shbeir and Israel’s vocal hip hop star Victoria Hanna will deliver tales from ancient texts and stories of current social injustices. Chilean political-punk-poet Nano Stern and Ghanaian Jojo Abot who seamlessly blends electronica, indie-soul, reggae and hip hop will be  part of a growing global conversation with audiences.

Always a highlight of WOMAD are the talents of local artists and 2018 looks to be one of the most exciting yet with the “toweringly talented song writer” Aldous Harding and Auckland city’s Hopetoun Brown, who will stomp and parp their way into audience hearts with nothing but brass, a bass clarinet, two sets of tambourines and tonsils. West Auckland newcomers, The Miltones will deliver some excellent knee slappin’, foot stompin’ and booty shakin’ and from Taranaki, The Slacks will bring home some classic kiwi messages of unity, aroha, and community.

Previously announced; Los Angeles saxophonist, composer and jazz superstar Kamasi Washington, the Indian classical and progressive sitar virtuoso Anoushka Shankar and classic Kiwi band Dragon complete the 29 exciting and eclectic artists from across the globe who will be performing at WOMAD 2018.

“WOMAD 2018 is a fantastic representation of World music of today and continues supporting diverse voices on stages. An incredible weekend of musical discovery with artists from around the globe” said Emere Wano, WOMAD Event Director & NZ Programme Manager.

WOMAD 2018

March 16 - 18: Bowl Of Brooklands, New Plymouth

Tickets via WOMAD

Line-Up in alphabetical order
ADRIAN SHERWOOD (UK), ALDOUS HARDING (Aotearoa), ANOUSHKA SHANKAR (India/UK), BIXIGA 70 (Brazil), CHICO TRUJILLO (Chile), CONSTANTINOPLE (Canada), DAYMÉ AROCENA (Cuba), DRAGON (Aotearoa), GHADA SHBEIR (Lebanon), HAVANA MEETS KINGSTON (Jamaica / Cuba), HOPETOUN BROWN (Aotearoa), JAMIE MCDOWELL & TOM THUM (Australia), JOJO ABOT (Ghana / USA), KAMASI WASHINGTON (USA), LEMON BUCKET ORKESTRA (Canada), LE VENT DU NORD (Canada), MY BUBBA (Sweden/ Iceland), NANO STERN (Chile), NOURA MINT SEYMALI (Mauritania), PAT THOMAS & KWASHIBU AREA BAND (Ghana), RAHIM ALHAJ TRIO (Iraq), RODRIGO Y GABRIELA (Mexico), SPOOKY MEN'S CHORALE (Australia), THE MILTONES (Aotearoa), THE SLACKS (Aotearoa), THIEVERY CORPORATION (USA), TINARIWEN (Mali), VICTORIA HANNA (Israel), VIOLONS BARBARES (France/Mongolia/Bulgaria)