What's happened to the World Music?

[Roy Graham]

We originally heard about Wychwood through Songlines magazine, and have been to all 6 festivals. We liked the idea of a smaller family friendly festival, with an emphasis on World & Folk music, as well as more mainstream acts. Over the years we've also been to many WOMADs, along with other festivals.

At each Wychwood festival we've booked tickets for the next year, although in 2009 we did hesitate. But the 2010 line-up has meant that we haven't risked rebooking again. There was very little world music, and it seems that Wychwood is moving away from what we thought it was to more 80's nostalgia acts - this year's headliners included the (Beautiful) South, Happy Mondays, Lightning Seeds &c.

I'm not sure whether this is a deliberate policy to move to a more mainstream positioning appealing to a wider audience, or whether it just reflects the tastes of someone new getting involved in bookings. Whichever it is, the Wychwood festival to us is not what it was. There's less there for us. This is a shame when our kids are now starting to appreciate music more, and this was the first time that our 9 yr old was sufficiently excited by a band to want to buy their CD at the end and get it signed (thank you Baraka). But he's now more interested in returning to WOMAD, and not bothered about missing Wychwood next year.

It's a great site & the free kids activities are terrific, but it's a real shame about the music.

Roy Graham

Edited June 10, 2010 by Roy Graham

[gratedenini]

I have lots of yesses in reply--and as many nos.

When i seen the title of your post..i knew what is was gonna say. I have noticed over the years---Wychwood has diluted its World content.

I have expressed the following opinion lots of times--it might be re-futed--probably will...but in my opinion Wychwood was seriously modelled on Larmer Tree and their (wait for it.....) eclectic mix...doesnt that phrase just exude the piss and guts*** of Womad/ World Music eh?

Couple of years ago, that newly crowned sensation was on, whats her name...done nowt since as far as i can tell..Welsh lassie... Dufton?

The crowd went beee-serk -- I continued drinking. And where did that put me in the swing of it all my friend? In the minority!

And that is your question answered. If you want a troop of Africans millin around knockin seven shades out of tin cans and djembas.. stick with Womad and its Save the World ethos... cos Wychwood has / is evolving into something quite different.

Another thing I`ve always said is line ups never bother me (well y`know to a degree...I wouldnt go to a punk fest for instance)... but i`ll always have an opinion on the line up... and i thought this years Wych was reletively weak... the usual suspects and as has been said... budgets wont stretch to any massive names..which i`m further gald of--cos then it dilutes the whole thing when you get thousands of day trippers coming to see one specific act.

I can def see where you are coming from--but the bottom line is--its not gonna be going back to your salad days i dont think. I rememeber about 5-6 years ago there was a plethera** of World stuff kickin about.. but now its drifted off.... Songlines was full of it. Maybe its peaked.

I can now take it / leave it mesell.

Den

** note use of English A level

*** note mis-use of English A level

[marooned]

Little World or Folk Music ??!!?? - jings man, we had Diabate, Cissokho (spelling ?),

Baraka, Seth Lakeman, Beth Houghton, Levellers, Gees etc. along with the 'crossover' stuff like Dreadzone and Piney whatshername AND (probably) loads more in the beer tent.

Just how much of a 'tilt' to your choices do you want. Surely you're not one of those

navel gazing world music fans that frequent the humour-free Womad Forum with their narrow

interpretation of WORLD music. As a Womad and Larmer Tree Punter, it doesn't take too many

African Chiefs pulling on camels guts to make me long for a rippin' guitar solo!

It's only opinions though, and I agree with yours that The Happy Mondays, The South and The Lightening Seeds could easily have been cut from my programme - naff !

Come back Kate Rusby and bring back Banco de Gaia.......go on, make a steward happy!

[marooned]

TWO identical posts - dunno how that happened.

Perhaps The DayGlo Vest of Stewardship has invested me with supernatural powers......

[gratedenini]

TWO identical posts - dunno how that happened.

Perhaps The DayGlo Vest of Stewardship has invested me with supernatural powers......

[marooned]

....nah, they took it back - AND the Radio !!!

Still, I'll be getting an even posher day-glo vest at Larmer Tree - where they have oodles of

'ethnic fusion collectives', from far off former Empire Colonies like Verwood, for our complaining

chum Roy. Like you say, bang the sh*t out of a few squashed Sprite Cans, and dance about in

locally sourced peacock feathers - there you have it, the perfect World Music for an overhot afternoon !

Are we turning into grumpy ol' men, Denis..........

[gratedenini]

....nah, they took it back - AND the Radio !!!

Still, I'll be getting an even posher day-glo vest at Larmer Tree - where they have oodles of

'ethnic fusion collectives', from far off former Empire Colonies like Verwood, for our complaining

chum Roy. Like you say, bang the sh*t out of a few squashed Sprite Cans, and dance about in

locally sourced peacock feathers - there you have it, the perfect World Music for an overhot afternoon !

Are we turning into grumpy ol' men, Denis..........

[Medina]

Come and steward at Wickham Marooned and we'll give you a NUMBERED day-glo vest... and a choice of colours!

Hope you weren't stewarding outside during the Sunday downpour at Wychwood though?

Downpour apart, I thought Wychwood was really good... again. A decent choice of music to cater for most tastes (nice to see The Outcast Band back in action after many years), good site, good facilities, good choice of food and drink, excellent laid-back atmosphere, plenty of activities for the kids, no trouble, friendly stewards, discreet security, what more do you want?

Every festival evolves and finds its own position. Wychwood looked busier to me this year than last and the queues of people signing for 2011 earlybird tickets as they left suggests to me that most punters are happy with how Wychwood is developing.

No festival is perfect but Wychwood ticks most of the right boxes for me... and if they at last moved into profit after years of the organisers funding a loss from their own pockets then good... the people behind Wychwood are decent guys in it for the right reasons and I, for one, salute them.

[Roy Graham]

'Come back Kate Rusby and bring back Banco de Gaia.....'

ahhhh, and Amadou & Mariam, and Afro Celts, and a bit of Tinariwen and Baka Beyond wouldn't go amiss. And didn't we have Varrtina one year? But whatever you do, you must get Otway back.

Edited June 13, 2010 by Roy Graham

[Roy Graham]

'Another thing I`ve always said is line ups never bother me'

I agree, and I'll listen to all types of music if it grabs me, from World to folk to jazz to pop & rock. But for this to work you have to trust the festival - I'm absolutely convinced the Wychwood organisers are in it for the right reasons, but I think they're having to compromise their vision to pull in the crowds. I like a festival where you get blown away by someone you'd not even heard of before. There just weren't that many surprises at Wychwood - I felt they were playing safe.

Edited June 13, 2010 by Roy Graham

[Roy Graham]

Maybe you guys are right - it was just a weaker line-up generally, and I'm sure it's the 80s names who bring in the people for the Saturday night. With the 2009 festival so many people seemed to be there for Supergrass, but for me the festival only got interesting on the Sunday, which is why we renewed - this year the Sunday was disappointing in comparison. And by the way we're far from exclusively World music fans. OK this year I enjoyed Baraka (who were new to me) and Toumani Diabate, but one of my highlights was standing at the front of the marquee with my kids watching John Otway, and there were some great promising young bands on the BBC stage.

But I did get into the festival through hearing about it in Songlines, and Songlines are still sponsoring the festival, but the link to Songlines is becoming increasing tenuous and irrelvant. It's become so cosy and middle-England that the next thing you know they'll be sponsored by Waitrose and there will be a Pizza Express on the site!