WOMAD 2008: Peter Gabriel's Itinerant Music Festival Looks To The Future

Over the weekend I attended WOMAD, the long-running music, arts and dance festival. The festival has been running for an astonishing 26 years, and Peter Gabriel has been involved since its 1982 inception. The festival's UK date now takes place in Charlton Park, Wiltshire, a stone's throw from the base of Realworld Records, but WOMAD has also expanded internationally to host events in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, America and many European countries.

It is difficult to imagine a succesful festival that maintains such a specific musical brief. While festivals have grown in both size and number, and often compete on the popularity of headline acts, WOMAD has succeeded in rivalling their attendance without resorting to panic tactics. Instead the festival provides a platform for new acts from around the world who may not have experienced widespread exposure. One such act is Dengue Fever (pictured right), by far the highlight of the festival for me....


Dengue Fever hail from Cambodia and Los Angeles. Their sound is a true cross-polination of the Cambodian pop of the 60's and (to my ears) the glam-rock sound of musicians like David Bowie. Rather than try to describe them I suggest that you check them out here. Stay tuned for more Dengue Fever related news soon...