Weekend Rewind: The best Kiwi acts from Womad Festivals past

Hollie Smith performing at Womad in 2007.

Opinion

NZ On Screen’s Zara Potts takes a look back at some of the stand out acts that have appeared at the Womad festival over the years.

Each March, a convoy of campervans and cars cruise up and down the highways of the North Island all headed for New Plymouth. They're not going for the surf or the sculpture, but for a weekend of world music at the Bowl of Brooklands at the annual Womad festival.

This year the festival celebrates its 21st birthday in New Zealand, and since its inception, back in Auckland in 1997, the festival has wowed concert-goers with an eclectic line up of acts, both international and local.

Many of our most-loved musicians have had their start here, and some of the biggest names in New Zealand have played the festival including Neil Finn, Shona Laing and last year's crowd-puller, Marlon Williams.

This year, crowds are in for a blast-from-the-past treat when the reformed Dragon are set to hit the main stage.

See Dragon's monster 1978 hit Are You Old Enough? Here:

Womad — the World of Music and Dance — began in Britain in 1982 and was the brainchild of singer Peter Gabriel. The festival is unique in that it gives centre stage to world music which is often overlooked by the music industry in favour of more commercial acts.

That's not to say that popular artists aren't represented. Sinead O'Connor appeared in 2015 and our own chart-topper Neil Finn has taken to the stage of a number of occasions — his 2008 solo gig was a rescue mission after headliner Cesaria Evora had to pull out due to a heart attack.

See Neil Finn in the Pyjama Club here:

Since the very beginning of the festival, Māori music has been well-represented. Along with the contemporary sounds of musicians such as Tiki Taane and Trinity Roots, there have been stand-out kapa haka performances and an unforgettable appearance from the original Patea Māori Club in 2011.

See the original Poi E video here:

Mahinārangi Tocker was one of the stand-out performances at the 2008 Womad show — a performance that took on even greater poignancy when she passed away within months of her show.

Watch Mahinārangi Tocker talk about her music here:

Country music has also had a special place at Womad. Tami Neilson's merchandising tent sold out in five minutes flat in 2016, and last year, Christchurch crooner Marlon Williams won fans over when he road-tested material for his album Make Way for Love.

Watch Marlon Williams and Delaney Davidson here:

While the festival brings artists from around the world to the Bowl of Brooklands, it's often the homegrown musicians who are the crowd favourites, and Hollie Smith is no exception. In 2014 she re-introduced herself to New Zealand audiences after some time away from the big stage. Her Womad set was particularly memorable because it was so diverse; that diversity made her act one of the best-attended of the festival.

Watch Hollie Smith sing Bathe in the River here: