WOMAD, 24-28 July 2008, Charlton Park, Wiltshire -- who's going??
- Thread starter William of Walworth
- Start date
samlighting1
New Member
For us what really made the weekend was the A star service by everyone working on site. Stewards were so helpful and non stop smiles all weekend, sooooo many bar staff never had to queue up!! Even security & police managed a smile and a dance.
Really great atmosphere all round, heard some excellent music I would never of really listened to before now.
Nice ales, only down side to the whole thing was my tan turned out to be mainly dirt.
Same again next year
Really great atmosphere all round, heard some excellent music I would never of really listened to before now.
Nice ales, only down side to the whole thing was my tan turned out to be mainly dirt.
Same again next year
wiskey
Albatross Admirer
yes please
my only downsides were:
water - they REALLY need to ban push taps at festivals, it is completely pointless delivering 5L of high pressure water everytime someone pushes the tap, and they could have put pallets under the tap areas.
On the other hand THREE CHEERS for Tracy's crew
superb service keeping the loo's clean all weekend.
The spa - WHY???! did anybody use it at all over the weekend?
The wi-fi - this never worked and I spent a loooong while trying to be patient while they fixed it which they never did, it never transmitted further than the womad shop tent which was rubbish. They did at least give me a refund.
The volume of the main stage was way too loud, I couldnt have a conversation without shouting right at the back by the flags and it drowned out the music on the smaller more ambient stages.
On the plus side I thought the 10p refund on the beer cups was an inspired way of keeping the place clean and the kids happy and got them some pocket money, the kids next to us got 1000+ cups.
my only downsides were:
water - they REALLY need to ban push taps at festivals, it is completely pointless delivering 5L of high pressure water everytime someone pushes the tap, and they could have put pallets under the tap areas.
On the other hand THREE CHEERS for Tracy's crew
superb service keeping the loo's clean all weekend. The spa - WHY???! did anybody use it at all over the weekend?
The wi-fi - this never worked and I spent a loooong while trying to be patient while they fixed it which they never did, it never transmitted further than the womad shop tent which was rubbish. They did at least give me a refund.
The volume of the main stage was way too loud, I couldnt have a conversation without shouting right at the back by the flags and it drowned out the music on the smaller more ambient stages.
On the plus side I thought the 10p refund on the beer cups was an inspired way of keeping the place clean and the kids happy and got them some pocket money, the kids next to us got 1000+ cups.
Agreed the loos were spotless throughout but they still need to sort out their distribution, especially in the campsites. We had 10 portaloos serving the whole of the campervan fields (until a further 6 turned up on Sunday lunchtime!!!
) and the nearest alternative was a good 10 minute walk away.
Also they need to chop down all those sodding trees so that more than a dozen people can actually see the Radio 3 Stage at any one point in time!
Had a fantastic weekend though. Gradually sifting through the photos & hope to have them online before we head off to Big Chill.
) and the nearest alternative was a good 10 minute walk away.Also they need to chop down all those sodding trees so that more than a dozen people can actually see the Radio 3 Stage at any one point in time!
Had a fantastic weekend though. Gradually sifting through the photos & hope to have them online before we head off to Big Chill.
Musical Highlights:-
Shantel & Bucovina Club Orchestra - Absoutely fucking mental jumpabout Balkan Beats
Devon Sproule - Only caught her on a second hand recommendation. What a talent!
Sa Dingding - Stunning voice / Stunning costumes / Stunning choreography - Just Stunning!
Babylon Circus - A great way to kick things off in the sunshine on Saturday
Mavis Staples - She's still got SOUL Sister!
Chic - Nile Rodgers is still Mr Disco
Toumani Diabate - His 2 solo pieces at the start of the set were just jaw dropping!
Nathan "Flutebox" Lee - How does he do that???!!!
Shantel & Bucovina Club Orchestra - Absoutely fucking mental jumpabout Balkan Beats
Devon Sproule - Only caught her on a second hand recommendation. What a talent!
Sa Dingding - Stunning voice / Stunning costumes / Stunning choreography - Just Stunning!
Babylon Circus - A great way to kick things off in the sunshine on Saturday
Mavis Staples - She's still got SOUL Sister!
Chic - Nile Rodgers is still Mr Disco
Toumani Diabate - His 2 solo pieces at the start of the set were just jaw dropping!
Nathan "Flutebox" Lee - How does he do that???!!!
Had a fantastic time with close to zero negatives ....
Although it was a slow start and had a few teething problems, loads of people did use the spa.... and enjoyed it.... lots of praise in the comments book apparently but I couldn't be arsed to read it. Allegedly PG's idea. I imagine it'll become a fixture, but they need more facilities. £75 for the use of showers, toilets, 2 jacuzzis and a hairdryer is stretching it a bit.
Little Sicily stage was badly affected by noise pollution from two other stages and one stall was charging £3 for a bleedin' cappuchino.
Apart from the weather I was entirely underwhelmed by womad & imagine it'll be another decade before I venture there again unless I'm handsomely renumerated for my efforts.
If this is the future of festivals I shall book into Center Parcs and drown myself
Little Sicily stage was badly affected by noise pollution from two other stages and one stall was charging £3 for a bleedin' cappuchino.
Apart from the weather I was entirely underwhelmed by womad & imagine it'll be another decade before I venture there again unless I'm handsomely renumerated for my efforts.
If this is the future of festivals I shall book into Center Parcs and drown myself
That's somewhat harsh! 
There was plenty of good music, and IMO the atmosphere was very friendly and chilled overall .... and the Campsite Bar was kicking off nicely later on.
I would agree that there was some leakage of sound between stages, particularly from the main stage, whose sound was crystal clear and excellent but did overlap into other areas.
It was a piece of piss to find coffee that was well cheaper than £3=
There was plenty of good music, and IMO the atmosphere was very friendly and chilled overall .... and the Campsite Bar was kicking off nicely later on.
I would agree that there was some leakage of sound between stages, particularly from the main stage, whose sound was crystal clear and excellent but did overlap into other areas.
It was a piece of piss to find coffee that was well cheaper than £3=
Highlights, music :
1. Chic were superb -- I was expecting to hate them, but Nile Rodgers is a fucking genius, all those songs I never knew were his! He's a shit hot guitarist too.
2. Toumani Diabete -- utterly excellent even though I was right near the back, his solos came over loud and clear. I'd never seen him live before.
3. Ernest Ranglin, legend!
4. Eddy Grant delivered once again.
5, Seeing (part of) Orchestra Baobab as guests of Charlie Gillett on the Radio Three stage on Sunday evening was a revelation, I thought they were a bit dull on the main stage, but superb in stripped down form later.
6. I liked Babylon Circus a lot.
7. Adrian Sherwood and Lee Scratch Perry on Thirsday night -- wonderful. LP had been odd and disappointing to a lot of us last year at Endorse It -- in fact a near disaster with his own band failing to show up -- but on Thursday here, it all WORKED.
8. Billy Cobham and Asere -- Billy is counted one of the best jazz drummers in the world and last year at WOMAD I could see why, but this time, with this new band, he went Cuban/Panamanian and seemed to play the part of several drummers ...
9. Sharron Shannon, love her. Pretty sure Shane McGowan, listed as a guest, didn't show though, what a surprise
10. Squeeze -- old tunes, classic tunes, I know all the words .. can't wait to see them again at Beautiful Days.
Other highlights :
The scorching weather -- too much for shade-seeking Deb and the R3 stage area saved lives in that respect. But I loved the 27C temps myself, and all that sunshine!
The new site layout, changed in pretty much in every respect, so much so it was like being at a new festival, the absence of mud helped with that thought too I suppose. The redesign really worked with plenty of space, making the very most of the beautiful site. I really liked the way the main path from the campsite to the main arena took you through the woods.
I'm rarely able to say this at a festival but Security were brilliant, did their job with a visible presence, patrolling on Thursday particularly, the night when crime was most of a risk, but they made themselves seen (with the odd copper) when they needed to be, yet unobtrusive and not in your face when they weren't needed.
Real Ale Bar!!! They almost ran out on Sunday, but the choice of guests (as well as having all the Bath Ales) prior to that was fantastic.
Pint cup recycling.
Cheap and cheerful breakfast Monday morning at the Tea Cabin in the woods.
Downers were the water problems that wiskey mentioned -- too few taps with too strong a jet -- and the queues for the toilets.
Too many kids -- but that's both WOMAD and us I guess, and at least there weren't as many as at Camp Bestival
But the parents camped near to us -- not in a family area -- were rubbishly ineffectual at keeping their infant child quiet at 7 am, 7:30 am, 8 am Friday morning ....
Some right loudly middle class festie-ignorant spoilt idiots around generally -- one person complaining at the campsite loos to the lovely hardworking Tracy's people on Monday morning that the hand dispensing sanitisers had run out, and Deb heard of one man who'd complained that there was no loo paper in the individual toilets at 1 am, Monday morning.
But very very few negatives to report really, far far outweiged by the fact that we had a wicked time ...
1. Chic were superb -- I was expecting to hate them, but Nile Rodgers is a fucking genius, all those songs I never knew were his! He's a shit hot guitarist too.
2. Toumani Diabete -- utterly excellent even though I was right near the back, his solos came over loud and clear. I'd never seen him live before.
3. Ernest Ranglin, legend!
4. Eddy Grant delivered once again
.5, Seeing (part of) Orchestra Baobab as guests of Charlie Gillett on the Radio Three stage on Sunday evening was a revelation, I thought they were a bit dull on the main stage, but superb in stripped down form later.
6. I liked Babylon Circus a lot.
7. Adrian Sherwood and Lee Scratch Perry on Thirsday night -- wonderful. LP had been odd and disappointing to a lot of us last year at Endorse It -- in fact a near disaster with his own band failing to show up -- but on Thursday here, it all WORKED.
8. Billy Cobham and Asere -- Billy is counted one of the best jazz drummers in the world and last year at WOMAD I could see why, but this time, with this new band, he went Cuban/Panamanian and seemed to play the part of several drummers ...
9. Sharron Shannon, love her. Pretty sure Shane McGowan, listed as a guest, didn't show though, what a surprise
10. Squeeze -- old tunes, classic tunes, I know all the words .. can't wait to see them again at Beautiful Days.
Other highlights :
The scorching weather -- too much for shade-seeking Deb and the R3 stage area saved lives in that respect. But I loved the 27C temps myself, and all that sunshine!
The new site layout, changed in pretty much in every respect, so much so it was like being at a new festival, the absence of mud helped with that thought too I suppose. The redesign really worked with plenty of space, making the very most of the beautiful site. I really liked the way the main path from the campsite to the main arena took you through the woods.
I'm rarely able to say this at a festival but Security were brilliant, did their job with a visible presence, patrolling on Thursday particularly, the night when crime was most of a risk, but they made themselves seen (with the odd copper) when they needed to be, yet unobtrusive and not in your face when they weren't needed.
Real Ale Bar!!! They almost ran out on Sunday, but the choice of guests (as well as having all the Bath Ales) prior to that was fantastic.
Pint cup recycling.
Cheap and cheerful breakfast Monday morning at the Tea Cabin in the woods.
Downers were the water problems that wiskey mentioned -- too few taps with too strong a jet -- and the queues for the toilets.
Too many kids -- but that's both WOMAD and us I guess, and at least there weren't as many as at Camp Bestival
But the parents camped near to us -- not in a family area -- were rubbishly ineffectual at keeping their infant child quiet at 7 am, 7:30 am, 8 am Friday morning ....
Some right loudly middle class festie-ignorant spoilt idiots around generally -- one person complaining at the campsite loos to the lovely hardworking Tracy's people on Monday morning that the hand dispensing sanitisers had run out, and Deb heard of one man who'd complained that there was no loo paper in the individual toilets at 1 am, Monday morning.
But very very few negatives to report really, far far outweiged by the fact that we had a wicked time ...
Yes, I fully admit that I'm being somewhat harsh, but that sums up my overall opinion and it's healthy to have a range of views. I did say ONE stall; not all stalls, btw.
The 10p cup refund system is indeed an excellent idea but not a womad innovation. WBC also implemented it at the Hop Farm & no doubt at other events this year.
I hear that Speed Caravan were particularly good, and I was sorry to have missed Sa Dingding - probably the one CD I'll get hold of. I enjoyed seeing some of AltaiKAI (somewhat drowned out at both LS and the Radio 3 stage), Mor Kabasi and Jah Wobble's Chinese Dub. Children's workshops looked to be the most exciting happenings over the weekend.
A lot of the music I heard and the general vibe seemed rather pedestrian imho. My overall observation: suburbia in a field. If I'd paid for a ticket I wouldn't feel I'd got value for money, but if that's what floats people's boats and 20 or 30,000 people were happier last weekend than they otherwise would've been then I guess it's all to the good innit.
The 10p cup refund system is indeed an excellent idea but not a womad innovation. WBC also implemented it at the Hop Farm & no doubt at other events this year.
I hear that Speed Caravan were particularly good, and I was sorry to have missed Sa Dingding - probably the one CD I'll get hold of. I enjoyed seeing some of AltaiKAI (somewhat drowned out at both LS and the Radio 3 stage), Mor Kabasi and Jah Wobble's Chinese Dub. Children's workshops looked to be the most exciting happenings over the weekend.
A lot of the music I heard and the general vibe seemed rather pedestrian imho. My overall observation: suburbia in a field. If I'd paid for a ticket I wouldn't feel I'd got value for money, but if that's what floats people's boats and 20 or 30,000 people were happier last weekend than they otherwise would've been then I guess it's all to the good innit.
hp66, fair enough, I do understand where you're coming from, it can be very subdued and respectable at WOMAD, and that doesn't suit everyone's preference. We like a variety of fests from wild to relaxed.
The lack of aggro and crime at WOMAD this year was
The lack of aggro and crime at WOMAD this year was
william..shane mcgowan did turn up as sharon shannons guest(a fair way into the set) on the friday eve in the siam tent..i know cos i was working on the disabled platform in that tent all w/e.enjoyed him a lot even tho i was never massively into the pogues! shame you missed him if you are a fan..
some of the music at womad was a bit the slick/fusiony side of world music for my taste..but its different when you are working you end up not being able to see the things you want..at least i wasnt stuck on a gate far from the stages(like at latitude) so i did get to hear some music, even if all of it wasnt to my taste!
the security at WOMAD compared to latitude was GREAT..there were no bag seaches or heavy wrist band checking..(you know when you are told to pull it, stare at each one for 5 minutes, looking at serial numbers
)
at latitude i was told by a jobs worth steward that i wasnt checking wristbands carefully enough this was when people where in a long que to see blondie on the final night and had paid a BOMB to be there and now were in a slow q due to security and missing blondie..i hated working at latitude when people were REALLY searched/patted down as if they were going into some tacky nightclub and their booze taken off them.some security were looking in punters golden virgina packets for weed..FFS! its a festival!
the steward i worked with at WOMAD was told by a security guy to look out for ppl selling vodka jellies..i said to her(my fellow oxfam steward), wow thats the crime of the century isnt it? she seemed to think it was alright for security to evict these people she said that after all they are UNLICENSED!!! i hope to hell they werent caught..it was 2 disabled guys
probably trying to make their costs on an expensive ticket..cant see what harm they were causing..?
overall womad is a far more relaxed expereince than latitude..i just didnt get too lucky with the other stewards i met at either festival,who were on the whole ultra, ultra straight, conventional in their attitudes.
but hey ho im tryin to laugh it off..and of course there were LOADS i didnt work with/talk to..
some of the music at womad was a bit the slick/fusiony side of world music for my taste..but its different when you are working you end up not being able to see the things you want..at least i wasnt stuck on a gate far from the stages(like at latitude) so i did get to hear some music, even if all of it wasnt to my taste!
the security at WOMAD compared to latitude was GREAT..there were no bag seaches or heavy wrist band checking..(you know when you are told to pull it, stare at each one for 5 minutes, looking at serial numbers
)at latitude i was told by a jobs worth steward that i wasnt checking wristbands carefully enough
this was when people where in a long que to see blondie on the final night and had paid a BOMB to be there and now were in a slow q due to security and missing blondie..i hated working at latitude when people were REALLY searched/patted down as if they were going into some tacky nightclub and their booze taken off them.some security were looking in punters golden virgina packets for weed..FFS! its a festival!the steward i worked with at WOMAD was told by a security guy to look out for ppl selling vodka jellies..i said to her(my fellow oxfam steward), wow thats the crime of the century isnt it? she seemed to think it was alright for security to evict these people
she said that after all they are UNLICENSED!!! i hope to hell they werent caught..it was 2 disabled guys probably trying to make their costs on an expensive ticket..cant see what harm they were causing..?
overall womad is a far more relaxed expereince than latitude..i just didnt get too lucky with the other stewards i met at either festival,who were on the whole ultra, ultra straight, conventional in their attitudes.
but hey ho im tryin to laugh it off..and of course there were LOADS i didnt work with/talk to..
the steward i worked with at WOMAD was told by a security guy to look out for ppl selling vodka jellies..i said to her(my fellow oxfam steward), wow thats the crime of the century isnt it? she seemed to think it was alright for security to evict these people
probably trying to make their costs on an expensive ticket..cant see what harm they were causing..?
I didn't think selling vodka jellies was actually illegal -- are they not technically food?
I never see stalls openly advertising brandy coffees being hassled at Glasto ...
In any case, I would both hope and expect that if your Oxfam collegaue found the vodka jelly sellers and challenged them, they gave her the slip. They probably did, there was one guy doing a roaring trade right through ...errr somebody told me
Didn't know he was disabled though ....
Oh as for shane ... we'd had a fair bit of cider by then so even though we were there we might have missed him on reflection!!
hey william, there were a few people selling them(including an able bodies guy and woman) dont know if they were a team or not..they all had different coloured ones..sadly the able bodied guy was evicted i saw security leading him out
the 2 disabled guys(one in an electric wheelchair and 1 with tiny 1 inch feet and a cane)had different coloured jellies..hope they(and the woman) didnt get thrown out as well..
i cant see how they are harming anyone..the lady i was working with claimed that the jellies could have been made in unhygenic conditions, i thought it was a silly excuse..cos you can have a license to sell food/booze and run a dirty stall/resturant
the whole thing is about protecting the profits of the bar who paid for their pitch..
still im very happy that womad let people bring in their own booze(their were signs saying not to but no seaches were done)these days that counts for a LOT..! im a light drinker myself,it just is important to me for people to have this freedom!
the 2 disabled guys(one in an electric wheelchair and 1 with tiny 1 inch feet and a cane)had different coloured jellies..hope they(and the woman) didnt get thrown out as well..
i cant see how they are harming anyone..the lady i was working with claimed that the jellies could have been made in unhygenic conditions, i thought it was a silly excuse..cos you can have a license to sell food/booze and run a dirty stall/resturant
the whole thing is about protecting the profits of the bar who paid for their pitch..
still im very happy that womad let people bring in their own booze(their were signs saying not to but no seaches were done)these days that counts for a LOT..! im a light drinker myself,it just is important to me for people to have this freedom!
There is a guy sells vodka jellies at WOMAD every year. I see him at other festivals too. He was doing the rounds in Little Sicily on Sunday night so if the security guys were on the look out for him they never caught up with him. 
Interesting the new "No alcohol to be taken into the arena" policy. Was this enforced at all. I deliberately walked in with a can of cider held in the same hand as my wristband was attached to & nobody batted an eyelid!
Interesting the new "No alcohol to be taken into the arena" policy. Was this enforced at all. I deliberately walked in with a can of cider held in the same hand as my wristband was attached to & nobody batted an eyelid!
Managed a four pint flagon of Chucklehead on Thuirsday, openly carried in, attached on my belt ...
The second (Saturday) flagon went in scarcely concealed, in a little bag ...
I think Tort's talking of the same vodka jelly seller as I was thinking of .... he's smart and moves fast I reckon. Didn't see the others ...
The second (Saturday) flagon went in scarcely concealed, in a little bag ...
I think Tort's talking of the same vodka jelly seller as I was thinking of .... he's smart and moves fast I reckon. Didn't see the others ...
wiskey
Albatross Admirer
vodka jellies ARE a health hazard as they are often not stored properly, they may have been made in unhygienic conditions and, far more importantly, they contain alcohol which is bad for you
As it happens there were a few fly pitchers around the radio 3 stage who were allowed to stay as they were selling t-shirts which dont need a license, alcohol needs a license and unlicensed alcohol sellers put the festival license in jeopardy.
The alcohol in the arena thing was a screw up on the signage. It was actually a total no-no on glass (although I thought it was inspired that they put out glass recycling bins because even though you say no people will bring it and its far better they have somewhere to put it) and a deterrent on people taking in crates of beer rather than buying from the bars. It wasn't a ban on alcohol at all. The same happened with the no glass signs at the gates, that was a mistake, it was no glass in the arena but the campsites were ok.
As it happens there were a few fly pitchers around the radio 3 stage who were allowed to stay as they were selling t-shirts which dont need a license, alcohol needs a license and unlicensed alcohol sellers put the festival license in jeopardy.
The alcohol in the arena thing was a screw up on the signage. It was actually a total no-no on glass (although I thought it was inspired that they put out glass recycling bins because even though you say no people will bring it and its far better they have somewhere to put it) and a deterrent on people taking in crates of beer rather than buying from the bars. It wasn't a ban on alcohol at all. The same happened with the no glass signs at the gates, that was a mistake, it was no glass in the arena but the campsites were ok.
Hi this is my first post on this forum so bear with me (no that does not mean I have a grizzly on my lap!!)
Am I right in surmising that there was a vodka jelly seller in a motorised wheelchair, since I was sat opposite pie minster on sunday night and three coppers and several security were giving this disabled guy a hard time for at least a quarter of an hour. Finally they accompanied him after sort of searching him, at one point a copper reached for his cuffs before his colleague seemed to point out that if he was cuffed he would be immobile, I never heard what was said and vaguely wondered what was going on, but the posts above make sense of it all. I should have taken photos but would have needed flash and coppers hate being photo'd in action.
Great WOMAD though, good to see Tort (cheers for the lift home) William and Debs, see you all at the chill.
Am I right in surmising that there was a vodka jelly seller in a motorised wheelchair, since I was sat opposite pie minster on sunday night and three coppers and several security were giving this disabled guy a hard time for at least a quarter of an hour. Finally they accompanied him after sort of searching him, at one point a copper reached for his cuffs before his colleague seemed to point out that if he was cuffed he would be immobile, I never heard what was said and vaguely wondered what was going on, but the posts above make sense of it all. I should have taken photos but would have needed flash and coppers hate being photo'd in action.
Great WOMAD though, good to see Tort (cheers for the lift home
) William and Debs, see you all at the chill.biff curtains
Fred West or Fred Housego
I had a good WOMAD, great sets from Transglobal Underground and Represent among others though it was a crime when AltaiKai the throat singers in Little Sicily were drowned out by Chic on the main stage.
Found out Cakes makes a good dodgems partner as well
Found out Cakes makes a good dodgems partner as well
There is a guy sells vodka jellies at WOMAD every year. I see him at other festivals too. He was doing the rounds in Little Sicily on Sunday night so if the security guys were on the look out for him they never caught up with him.
They did - on Saturday at the open air stage - but he came back again.
At £2/jelly it's probably all in a days work!
newbie
undisambiguated
Indeed so: we spent the weekend debating the fine line between civilised and tame. Somehow Womad crosses the line and leaves me slightly yearning for piles of crap with someone passed out in the middle, but only slightly. It was clean, friendly, easy, together and pretty much everything worked, so it's hard to see how to fault it, nor quite what could be done to make it less tame. Providing wood for fires in the campsite would be top of my list, but after that, what? What can Womad do to make it less staid and yet remain particularly child and young teen friendly and relatively easy for those with limited mobility.
I paid, though reduced because of the mud last year- a nice guesture, and it was well worth it- the festival delivered everything it could, it's the customers that lack spark (me included!). Two on the trot is probably enough though, I'm not sure I'll be there next year.
btw if you think Womad suburban I'd stay well clear of Larmer Tree if I were you
wish my 'burb was like womad...
I thought the crowd was fair jumpin' this year. Not like Glade last week you understand but good enough!
I dream of Glade & Womad deciding to merge into one super festival. The Overkill stage would clearly be next to the Radio 3 stage.
Now that would be fun
