Festival Review: WOMAD Aotearoa 2025 @ Brooklands Park, New Plymouth – March 2025

Friday

WOMAD (World Of Music And Dance) Aotearoa, which has been held in New Plymouth’s beautiful Brooklands Park since 2003, has been running for 22 years. The original WOMAD festival, co-founded by Peter Gabriel, took place in Shepton Mallet, UK in 1982.

Once again my daughter Emily and I made the pilgrimage to the New Plymouth (Ngāmotu), along with thousands of other whanau for three days of World music, kai and culture. And to take a few photos, too.

Before beginning we want to acknowledge all of those who lost their lives at Al Noor Mosque and the Linwood Islamic Centre on Friday, 15th March six years ago.

We also remember, too vividly, that it was on the Sunday evening of the festival that it was announced that on 25 March 2020, at 11.59 p.m. Aotearoa would go into a nationwide lockdown as an extreme but necessary measure to prevent the spread of Covid 19, reduce the risk of our medical system being over-run and to protect our most vulnerable people the devastating effects of the virus.

Those times seem so very far away now, but I was there at WOMAD when both events occurred. I saw the impacts not only on Kiwis but also the international community that had come together for the weekend, in a spirit of love, respect and global harmony.

As the slogan says, ‘The World Comes to Taranaki’. It really does. And despite the craziness of the world outside, for a short time we remain in bubble of culture and music. It’s as if the Bowl of Brooklands provides a protective korowai of hope, aroha and understanding. Leave troubles at the gate. Anyone who attends the weekend always comes out more enlightened, more free and best of all more happy!

And whilst this event is a World Music festival there was also ample opportunity to see and explore unique acts from Aotearoa. So, that was our focus this year.

Friday night opened with a pōwhiri on the Bowl stage, followed by The Veils with NZTrio. As the crowds drifted down from the massive campsite up on the adjacent race course Somi Kim (piano), Ashley Brown (cello) and Amelia Hall struck up a moody and brooding piece before Finn Andrews and band came on. They then put on a mesmerizing performance running through a variety of content from the Veils’ back catalogue and a number of songs from the latest drop, Asphodels. That included the darkly beautiful Mortal Wound, a lovely rendition of Melancholy Moon (which sounded even more like a Noel Coward song than usual) and the prophetic underworld paean, The Ladder.

We grabbed a drink from the bar – ‘WOMAD Lager’, what else – and settled in to see Latin Cellist Ana Carla Maza before heading back to the Bowl stage for the night’s best highlight – Black Comet. Under a blood moon WOMAD partied hard. Led by music Ninja and multi-instrumentalist, Laughton Kora (Kora, Fly My Pretties) and supported by Stan Bicknell (drums), Dan Antunovich (bass) and Poihakena Reid (keys, sac, talk-box), blasted out a sonic fury of infectious grooves from Kora’s spaceman brain, wrapped up in layers of 70’s funk, reminiscent of Bootsy-Collins and George Clinton. Tunes like Highway To Funk, Groovin’ and Give It To Me make everyone at the festival shake off the weekday, get up and get down! They even gave Bobby Brown’s classic My Prerogative “a hoon!”

Their light show was literally out of this world. Also space themed, including a segment from retro movie ‘The Day The Earth Stood Still’ and some wicked animations, which made the show super fun.

We caught a bit of a chat with actress Morgana O’Reilly (‘Housebound’, ‘Mean Mums’, ‘The White Lotus’) on the World Of Words stage. But sadly, missed Frau Knotz’ electronic music-science techno demo on the OMV Steam Lab stage due to unfortunate timing with other great acts. Hopefully another chance will come up in the future.

Aussie act Ukelele Death Squad were buzzing the crowd. Lead Matty Barker was decked out in an amazing tinsel cape and fishnet stockings. But even he was-out dressed by the audience, who’d come to the party dressed in their interpretation of this year’s Friday night theme: ‘Skies Of Wonder’. There were neon birds, illuminated fairies and even a giant Kiwi head made of made sacking and plaster.

Kiwis continued to bring the grooves down on the Tūī Stage, with DJ’s Poppa Jax and Pixie Lane cutting up the shapes by the lake. I was a little sceptical as to whether an area dedicated to EDM and selections would work at a festival known for theatrics, colour and costumes but sure enough everyone and their offspring was down there partying like it was the end of the world!

After a late night hot chocky, we staggered back up the hill and off to bed, looking forward to the next day’s festivities.

Saturday

Saturday started with the same as the night before. Sort of. Due to a cancelation, Black Comet reappeared on Saturday afternoon, victorious from their previous night out and even funkier than before (if that was possible). The talk-box trick was fully exploited, interweaving bits of 2pac’s California Love into a song and their set from the previous night won even more hearts and minds.

At 1pm Jordyn With A Why took the stage at the Bowl. With a full band she blended her Waiata with soothing R&B, neo-soul and ‘pop to tell powerful stories of identity, heritage and language reclamation’. Her songs are mostly in Te Reo Māori, fantastic to hear resonating around the Bowl. Brown Melodies, Raumati, He Rei Niho all went off. Jordyn reached with aroha across the lake to the small but encouraging lunch time groups scattered up and down the slopes of the Bowl – a natural amphitheatre crated in an ancient crater.

The rest of Saturday was pretty chill. We did a few interviews and caught up with friends. We also checked out some of the other artists like Brazilian 60’s Tropica’llia lounge act Bala Desejo who brought soothing Gilberto vibes to the bowl while parents slumbered after their lunches of ethnic foods and craft beer and hordes of Tamariki indulged in the time honoured tradition of ignoring the bands and rolling down the grass slopes.

What’s special about WOMAD Aotearoa is the diversity of the fans. Whanau of all ages are here. But there is an admittedly larger representation of over 65s. They even have their own viewing platforms. Still it’s common to see teens, tweens and toddlers all moshing up the front of the stage under the watchful eyes of their parents and caregivers. For many this is their first experience of a big gig and a memory that will go with them through life. Talking to CHAII and Laughton Kora later in the day I was reminded how WOMAD had profoundly influenced and inspired their younger selves.

Over at the World of Words writer Bariz Shah told his audience about how growing up in a time when many Moslems were falsely mis-labelled as terrorists in the public eye. That sent him down his own path of misadventure and crime before he was rehabilitated. He now helps charities and micro-businesses in Afghanistan get up and running. He said it was strange to visit a country under the Taliban that was so safe – perhaps because civil obedience was so dangerous for the offenders? He talked about his work in the aftermath of the Christchurch shooting which is also part of his new Kaupapa.

A bit later we also caught journo Jared Savage discussing his new book ‘Gangland’, a frightening account of the state of organized crime in Aotearoa.

The WOMAD Bowl stage has a lake in front of it. So, for the obvious Health and Safety, reasons there are qualified and genuine Surf lifeguards on duty. The organisers think of everything!

There is an insane variety of food trucks, everything from coffee to South African Jerk Chicken and India Dosa. We opted for Chinese hawker food and Spanish Paella with a side dish of churos and a mound of Strawberries in chocolate.

As the sunset flooded the sky in ambers, pinks and apricot tones, the headliners came out. The incredible UK producer and musician Nitin Sawhney and a trio of singers was first up with a retrospective of his amazing career of world music projects. Then veteran soul and Trinidad’s phenomenal dub Queen Omega and headliner Róisín Murphy (formerly of Moloko) wowed us back on the Bowl stage. Murphy was a spectacle to be seen – just. For each song she wore a selection of costumes, including a bizarre insect-like head piece and multi coloured cape, revealed through a set of flashing black and white flashing light effects. His show was as baffling as it was entertaining, for sure.

To finish off the night, we headed to the Gables and indulged in the crazy beats of Who Shot Scott (aka Zaidoon Nasir).

Backed by DJ Mikey and drummer ‘D’, WSS went off! The man has more energy than the Energizer Bunny on extra-caffeinated intravenous Guarana!

Exploding on to the stage, he spent the next 55 minutes bouncing back and forth across the entire front (and back) of the Gables. The music came thick and fast, so forgive me if I misheard. Loners Anthem, Really Like That and Lil Bit of Hot literally burned the house down!

Song after song, his warp cloud of mega-energy radiated from the stage to the very back of the field in endless waves of euphoria. Old and young were swept along, dancing, jumping, and moshing like there was no tomorrow. At one point a small group of over-enthusiastic boppers were overcome, leaping the barrier to groove freely in the photo pit. Much to the glee of Security, who finally had a job on. WOMAD is probably the only festival that’s so chill, that the biggest panic is when a neighbour’s cat breaches the fence line without a ticket! But seriously, thank you to everyone who works so hard here to keep us safe, fed, watered and entertained. The huge army of volunteers and crew do an amazing job. This festival is likely the most well-oiled machine in the Southern Hemisphere!

As the night closed, we were swept up to the campsite and streets by the reinterpreted 80’s disco-grooves of DJ Little Wild down in the Tūi booth.

Sunday dawned in the first proper rains of the three days. Even that was merely mountain dew and cloud cover. For the 1000’s strong campsite it was damp under canvas. But by mid-afternoon the blue had pushed through again and the Bowl was once again bathed in bright sunlight.

Sunday

Sunday at WOMAD is traditionally an opportunity to indulge in a few extracurricular activities, like Taste The World, where visiting artists speak and cook food from their home countries and often sing or joke about. The World of Words continues it Poetry Slam competition and features more writers. There’s also a late-night comedy act, Joanna Jay.

It was also a second chance to catch some of the headliners like uber-producer Nitin Sawhney, Scottish nu-folk group Talisk, Melbourne based Latin group Amaru, an incredible group from Togo, Special mention to the guy playing a large xylophone of plumbing pipes struck with jandals to create a deep resonance not unlike the bass notes on a pan-flute – only way larger! We also caught some special moments from the sets of Tribe Nana Benz du Togo, Palestinian trio 47 Soul and 80’s indigenous art collaborators Not Drowning, Waving. The latter played material which blended Aboriginal music and Micronesian music, culture and politics into their set.

The big moment came at 5PM. Yet moments before, nonchalantly, when Elizabeth Stokes, Jonathan Pierce, Benjamin Sinclair and Tristan Deck (The Beths) were noodling about hidden in matching hoodies, masquerading as their own roadies.

On the allotted hour, they launched into When You Know and a vigorous Dying To Believe and goth the capacity crowd, some with banners of support, up and moving.

“I’ve played on a train and in tiny bars, big stages. But I’ve never played on a stage with a moat before,” Tristan was to quip later on in the set. He was having a ball behind the kit, as were the rest of the band.

As we were scrambling about trying to get the best shots without falling in the lake I’d barely noticed when the ‘Fish Tec’ had inflated ‘Cat’, a massive blow-up fish at the back of the stage. “You may be wondering why there’s a big fish on stage,” Liz commented later, “Well, there’s a fish the album cover. So, it’s here, because of ‘Art’!” ‘Çat’ swayed about in time to the music, puffed up to his full potential enjoying the attention.

The Beths were fast favourites, even with the over 65’s up high in the viewing platforms, toe tapping along to Jump Rope Gazers, Head In The Clouds, Little Death, Not Getting Excited and Future Me Hates Me. Liz even snuck in a new song – a sympathetic 70’s styled ballad, called Oakley Creek about the recent floods.

They were just rounding up on a brilliant version of Expert In A Dying Field when the kid’s parade literally crashed the Bowl, with a euphoric cacophony of drums, singing, and cymbals and a mass of young and old in handmade ‘costumes’ and ‘masks’ made during various craft sessions in the KidZone over the three day weekend.

I was stoked that Kiwi-Dutch nomad psychedelic-blues trio were filling in for L’tan de L’Air, on the Brooklands Stage. Currently on the road, a late call on Friday brought their tour bus back to the ‘Naki at a moment’s notice. And it was a victorious return for the sibling trio, Cato and Joost van Dijck and Daniel ‘Dafreez’ Johnston played a blistering set. They’re no strangers to WOMAD, having played here on this very stage in 2019. Many of those in the crowd remembered them well and were bum rushing the show to hear material from their back catalogue, like Out n Gin and Uprising plus a few from their recent national ‘Acoustic Blues Club’ tour.

Our final act was on the Gables stage. Dressed in blood red, with matching lighting, Iranian-Kiwi dance act CHAII (Mona Sanei) and long-time collaborators Yoko-Zuna brought the party back. Her music was a celebration of modern techno and Persian sounds, fusing her Middle Eastern Heritage with samples and contemporary hip-hop.

I’m a huge fan of Yoko Zuna and was thrilled to see them up there. JY Lee totally crushed it with swirling desert reeds from his sax and flute. Kenji Iwamitsu-Holdaway was on fire behind his guitar, shredding up an inferno. Swap Gomez, drums and Frank Eliesa, keys brought it all together for CHAII with stonking techno beats.

She kicked off with big hitters like WW (Look at Me), Nobody Know, Oh Nah Yeah and Fun followed by Drippin’ In Gold and, later on, a super-indulgent mash up of material including her mega hit Lightswitch.

CHAII name checked her parents in the audience and was gratefully acknowledging the warmth of the crowd, who were really enjoying her set. Lighting was intense and powerful, giving real gravitas to the amazing jams, much from her new album Safar.

Being Iranian born, CHAII delivered lyrics in both English and Farsi and blended in with tunes with a ‘Persian Party’ flavour. I could be wrong but I’m pretty sure I caught bits of Dande, Beshin’, Vay and Rahe Ma from the new album. Completing with Can’t Get You (Off My Mind), CHAII’s set was a ballistic, cathartic moment, perfect to wrap up a perfect weekend as we all crawled back up the slopes of the Bowl of Brooklands back to our tents or cars, to head home grooved out, blissed out and well satisfied. All talking of the bands they saw, the food they ate, friends they met and partied with. WOMAD 2025 numbers were a little down this year, maybe due to a clash with the last ever Homegrown back in Welly. At the height of its powers WOMAD can pull 23,000 per day. But still, it looked pretty crowded all weekend and that contributed to the extra good vibes the festival is renowned for.

WOMAD Aotearoa is possibly the largest festival in the motu. Its three days of celebration, culture, art, food and camping. But it doesn’t magically appear. Behind the scenes a massive effort put in by the 500+ volunteer army that makes this gig happen – everyone from the sweet lady who silently slipped in during a quiet moment to clean up the bathrooms to the mega-efficient stage crews, the hosts that welcome punters at the gate, the golf cart drivers who ferry bands and their gear backwards and forwards, the people that stock the backstage fridges, those that help with the recycling bins as part of the Festival’s zero-waste programme and the many other nameless heroes – thank you, all! And to the 1000+ professional crew, and the Taranaki Arts Festival Trust people, as well. You all made this festival with your energy, trust, vibes and aroha. Thank you! Ka pai. E koropupu ana te ngkau i te hari me te koa!

 

Photo Credit: Tim and Emily Gruar
Day 1 Gallery
Day 2 Gallery
Day 3 Gallery