WOMAD, today announces a new slate of inspiring artists from around the world to Wiltshire’s Charlton Park from Thursday 25 to Sunday 28 July 2024.

Announced for this year’s festival is the Sicily-born reggae superstar Alborosie [Italy] who will absolutely get the party started on Thursday night. This Jamaica-residing singer and producer has collaborated with the likes of the Wailing Souls and King Jammy. DJ Paulette has consistently broken the mould as a female DJ, trailblazing the way for others, from ruling the Hacienda in the early ’90s to touring the globe many times, she is a true icon.  

Joining them will be the varied musical talents of singer and composer Sid Sriram [India / USA], who combines Indie and R&B with his native Carnatic music, forming the unique sound he is known so well for. Another exciting announcement is that Ghana Special [Ghana] will be performing, including an all-star line-up and some bona-fide highlife legends; Pat Thomas, Kwashibu Area Band, Charles Amoah and K.O.G, they’re sure to showcase the rich sounds of this corner of West Africa.  

Also announced is LINA_ [Portugal], regarded as one of the finest interpreters of the Portuguese fado tradition and exploring the more bluesier influences, Leyla McCalla [USA / Haiti] who takes her cello into the folk traditions of both North America and the Caribbean, an homage to her mixed heritage. Also added is New York-based singer-songwriter Emel [Tunisia / USA], whose barbed political songs have often been banned on the airwaves in her native Tunisia, golden-voiced singer Brittany Davis [USA], who takes inspiration from Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys and Erykah Badu, and the all-female Pankisi Ensemble [Georgia], whose stirring four-part harmonies are sure to bring the drama.  

On top of that, Gnawa Blues All Stars [UK / Morocco] join the lineup, bringing together the deep and irresistible grooves of North African Gnawa with the sounds of West Africa, South America, Asia and beyond, and a rare female take on the same sound the warm voiced Asmâa Hamzaoui fronts the bluesy intensity of her all-woman band Bnat Tombouktou [Morocco].  

Orange Blossom [France], who take their deep appreciation for the music of North and West Africa with a masterful command of electronica, Flamingods [UK / Bahrain] who deal in mind expanding electronica-seasoned psych-rock, and Maria Türme [Spain], who as one of Spain’s leading DJs encompasses much from Balkan beats, ghetto funk, electro-swing and much more.  

The much-loved trio from Montreal, Genticorum [Canada], who delve deep into Québécois folk traditions using an array of instruments will also be gracing the stage, as will the five-piece Gangar [Norway], who fuse their homelands folk heritage with that renowned Scandinavian love for various shades of metal, and folk trio Hack-Poets Guild [UK] will be resurrecting generations-old broadside ballads that still find their voice in the 21^st century.  

Bringing the sounds of classic-era Latin jazz from Havana and New York city are the New Regency Orchestra [UK], who add a contemporary London re-rub to the genre, GS Collective [UK], whose heartfelt and heady musicians, MC’s and singers brilliantly deliver performances of jazz-inflected hip-hop and R&B, Levitation Orchestra [UK] who create a spiritually progressive form of London Jazz that absorbs and reshapes electronica and ambient sounds and ten-person juggernaut of sound Bixiga 70 [Brazil], brilliantly fusing the urgency of Afrobeat with the cool of Latin Jazz.

Flying in from Ho Chi Minh City is Saigon Soul Revival [Vietnam], who revisit the classical sound of sixties and seventies Vietnamese soul and rock, Mangrove Steelband [UK], 11 time national steel champions of the irrepressible sound of carnival, and TC & The Groove Family [UK], a ten-strong outfit who supersede the musical boundaries of Afrobeats, Jungle, breakbeats, highlife and ska, combining them all into a unique groove, and Skarra Mucci [Jamaica] who is equally at ease with reggae, dancehall and hip-hop.

Giving a live set at WOMAD will be Romare [UK] bringing his much admired cut’n’paste creations to vivid and vivacious life, funk DJ WBBL [UK] with wall-shaking drum & bass, hip-hop and house, Mista Trick [UK] with his extensive record collection perfect for getting the crowds dancing away, musical polymath Jason Singh [UK], and O.B.F. [France] the much-lauded dub-wise sound system, inspired by dub-cultures of Jamaica and the UK, who over the weekend will welcome grime MC Iman [UK] on the mic.  

They will bejoining the showstopping lineup which includes multi-genre hero Sampa The Great [Zambia], progressive hip-hop trio Young Fathers [UK], electronic trailblazer Alison Goldfrapp [UK], bluesy duo Amadou & Mariam [Mali], cultural visionary Baaba Maal [Senegal], punk-rock showstoppers Gogol Bordello [USA] and the first hip-hop group to rap in Arabic, DAM [Palestine].

WOMAD is not just about incredible music; it has an abundance of activity; more announcements on the World of Words coming next week.

Recently, the Labour-controlled Reading Borough Council has announced a 16-week closure of the public subway beneath Reading station to undertake repairs and complete works to remove the often-vandalised ceiling tiles. Despite the overdue improvements, the timing and duration of the closure, along with the absence of a suitable diversion route, render the impact on town centre residents unacceptable.

The proposed works coincide with the upcoming Reading Festival – any delay risks causing chaos for festivalgoers and creating an unwelcoming atmosphere in the town centre upon their arrival. Moreover, the diversion route is over FOUR TIMES longer than the subway route it replaces, leading pedestrians on a winding journey underneath the filthy, noisy, and cramped Vastern Road underpass, which is in desperate need of thorough cleaning.

The Reading Liberal Democrats are advocating for:

a shorter, cleaner, diversion route for all, using the Reading station overbridge
a shorter period of works to reduce the risk of collision with Reading Festival.
Liberal Democrat candidate for Abbey ward and Reading Central parliamentary candidate, Henry Wright, said:

“There is finally light at the end of the tunnel for improvements to the Reading station underpass, however the diversion and closure show, once again, Reading Labour’s disdain for walkers and cyclists, and users of the town centre.

“The length of this closure and the unpleasant diversion route would never be foisted upon motorists in the same way. I am demanding the council think again – reduce the length of the closure and put in place a much nicer diversion route for visitors and residents of Abbey ward alike.”

Liberal Democrat candidate for Thames ward, Jo Ramsay, said:
“It is great that work is now being planned to upgrade the tunnel, and not before time. As someone who lives on the Caversham side of Thames Ward and commutes by foot through the underpass every day, I have been shocked to see ceiling plates falling off and netting hanging down from the roof in there without urgent action to fix.”

“But 16 weeks is a shockingly long period for the tunnel, which is now a main thoroughfare for pedestrians and cyclists, to be out of action. The council needs to explain what work is planned in there and work with the contractors to minimise the time the tunnel is out of action for residents north and south of the river.”

Liberal Democrat candidate for Emmer Green, Pieter De Boiserie, said:
“While I am pleased to finally see the council get to action on a crucial piece of infrastructure to aid vulnerable road users to pass safely into the town centre, it speaks again of Labour’s inability to get things done. How something like this can take 16 weeks and cost up to £400,000 is incomprehensible to many residents.

“On top of this, the slightest delay with this project will mean it will clash with Reading Festival and cause unprecedented amounts of chaos around the station. I urge the council to review this and try to reduce the time and cost of this project as much as possible – and create a better alternative diversion route away from the dangerous Vastern Road underpass.”

In the recent Reading local elections, the Labour Party’s vote seems to have hit a standstill, as they maintained their council majority with 25 seats, the same figure as in previous elections. Despite their success in reclaiming the Emmer Green seat with Daya Pa Singh, the party faced a setback with the loss of their sole remaining seat in Katesgrove to the newly elected Green councillor, Kate Nikulina.

This stagnation in the Labour vote could be attributed to various factors, including voter disillusionment with national party policies, local issues, or shifts in demographics within the constituency & war of Gazza. The loss of the Katesgrove seat may indicate changing attitudes or preferences among constituents in that area, potentially reflecting dissatisfaction with Labour’s representation or a growing appeal of the Green Party’s platform.

Contrastingly, the challenging circumstances faced by the Tory party did not seem to translate into electoral gains. Despite an increase in Conservative numbers in areas like Abbey ward, it was insufficient to secure victory. This suggests that while there may be pockets of increased support for the Tories, it was not widespread enough to significantly impact the overall election outcome. Furthermore, the Tories managed to retain a similar level of voter support overall, indicating resilience in maintaining their base despite prevailing challenges.