CRYSTAL MUSIC (UK); DAVID LOWE’S DREAMCATCHER (UK); FUTURE WORLD FUNK (UK); PETE MOSER (UK); SWAMI (UK) and THE KING SWINGERS (UK) have just been confirmed, and will join a robust line-up of over 70 artists from 37 countries.

WOMAD offers brilliant live music and much more: with hundreds of participatory workshops for adults and children; late night dance, DJ’s and grooves at ‘Club WOMAD’; the magical cabaret Spiegeltent; the kids’ procession; a traditional funfair; a weekend of shopping in the ‘Global Village’ with international food, drink, arts, craft and merchandise stalls - plus sumptuous site deco featuring hundreds of flags, projections, visual art & temporary structures.

On the Thursday evening, as twilight deepens the festival will come alive with commissioned music, lighting features and some special surprises, featuring Abdullah Chhadeh (Syria), Companie des Quidams (France), David Lowe’s Dreamcatcher (UK), Matthaios Tsahourides (Greece) and Sheema Mukherjee (India).

Each year the festival welcomes over 26,000 visitors and offers an unrivalled atmosphere that WOMAD festival-goers simply love.

The day-by-day line-up follows:

Friday 29 July

Abdullah Chhadeh (Syria); Bajofondo Tango Club (Argentina); Culture (Jamaica); Dulsori (Korea); Eddie Martin Trio (UK/USA); Gypsy Voices (UK/Poland); Kala Chethena Kathakali Theatre Company (India); Kike Pedersen (UK/Paraguay); Kiki Dee & Carmelo Luggeri (UK); Les Yeux Noirs (France); Lior (Australia); Louie Vega & His Elements of Life (USA); Mahmoud Ahmed (Ethiopia); Matthaios Tsahourides (Greece); Modou Diouf & O Fogum (Senegal); OKI Dub Ainu Band (Japan); Papa Yera (UK/Columbia); Pina (Austria); Ravibandhu Vidyapathy & Ensemble (Sri Lanka); Renegades Steel Orchestra (Trinidad & Tobago); Robert Plant & The Strange Sensation (UK); Sheema Mukherjee (India); The Gloworms (UK); Youngblood Brass Band (USA).
CABARET - An Act Above (Norway); Bedlam Oz (Australia); Caroline Parker (UK); Crystal Music (UK); Experiments In Psychic Philosophy (UK); Men in Coats (UK/Poland); Other Half Productions (UK/Germany); Pete Moser (UK); Romany (UK); Urban Magik (UK).
Club WOMAD - Bossacucanova (Brazil) - Live & DJ set; Soul Jazz Sound System (UK).

Saturday 30 July

Adel Salameh Trio (Palestine); Akim El Sikameya (Algeria/France); Andy White & Radoslav Lorkovic (Ireland/Croatia); Athena Andreadis (UK/Greece); Bill Cobham & Culture Mix (USA/Germany/Denmark/Sweden/UK); Candela (UK/Spain); Chango Spasiuk (Argentina); Chris Difford Songwriting Workshop (UK); Dulsori (Korea); Fatback Band (USA); Huun-Huur-Tu (Tuva); Jaojoby (Madagascar); Lura (Cape Verde); Mara! & The Martenitsa Choir (Australia); Mahmoud Ahmed (Ethiopia); Manickam Yogeswaran & Friends (UK/Sri Lanka); Matthaios Tsahourides (Greece); OKI Dub Ainu Band (Japan); Pama International (UK); Ravibandhu Vidyapathy & Ensemble (Sri Lanka); Roy Paci & Aretuska (Italy); Terem Quartet (Russia); The King Swingers (UK); Tigran Aleksnayan (UK/Armenia) & Dr Mostafa Shams (UK/Iran); Wicked Aura Batucada (Singapore); Youssou N’Dour & Super Étoile (Senegal); Zheng Chengwei & Cheng Yu (China).
CABARET - An Act Above (Norway); Bedlam Oz (Australia); Caroline Parker (UK); Crystal Music (UK); Experiments In Psychic Philosophy (UK); Men in Coats (UK/Poland); Other Half Productions (UK/Germany); Pete Moser (UK); Romany (UK); Urban Magik (UK).
Club WOMAD - Qool DJ Marv (USA); Sergent Garcia (France).

Sunday 31 July

Abdullah Chhadeh & Nara (Syria); Adel Salameh Trio (Palestine); Amadou & Mariam (Mali); Apache Indian & the Reggae Revolution (UK); Atongo Zimba (UK/Ghana); Carmen Souza (UK/Cape Verde); Darrell Scott (USA); Farida & The Iraqi Maqâm Ensemble (Iraq); Geoffrey Oryema (Uganda); Ilham Al Madfai (Iraq); Jally Keba Susso (UK/Gambia); Jorane (Canada); Les Yeux Noirs (France); Martenitsa Choir (Australia) feat. Silvia Entcheva (Bulgaria); Modou Diouf & O Fogum (Senegal); Nana Tsiboe (UK/Ghana); Neguinho da Beija-Flor (Brazil); Richie Havens (USA); Rizwan-Muazzam Qawwali Group (Pakistan); The Heritage Survival Band (UK/Zimbabwe); The Idan Raichel Project (Israel); Totó La Momposina y sus Tambores (Colombia); Wicked Aura Batucada (Singapore); Yasmin Levy (Israel); and a special Gala finale concert, hosted by Andy White (Ireland) featuring Geoffrey Oryema (Uganda), Chris Difford (UK), Terem Quartet (Russia), Reggae Revolution (UK) and other stars from the festival line-up.
CABARET - An Act Above (Norway); Bedlam Oz (Australia); Caroline Parker (UK); Crystal Music (UK); Experiments In Psychic Philosophy (UK); Men in Coats (UK/Poland); Other Half Productions (UK/Germany); Pete Moser (UK); Romany (UK); Urban Magik (UK).
Club WOMAD - Future World Funk (UK); Swami (UK); Nitin Sawhney DJ Set (UK).
Kids’ Procession - featuring Beatroots Batteria (UK); Landing Mané and his Drummers (Senegal/UK); Los Tamboures de Totó La Momposina (Colombia); Ravibandhu Vidyapathy & Ensemble (Sri Lanka) and Wicked Aura Batucada (Singapore).

Please note, the previously-billed Afro Celt Sound System are not able to appear due to other commitments.

TICKETS
Weekend Tickets have now sold out - no camping tickets left.
Day tickets still available: Friday £35, Saturday £55, Sunday £45
Concessions available.
Families are entitled to further savings as two children aged 13 and under can come free with each adult ticket buyer.

Bookings:
WOMAD TICKET LINE on Tel: 0118 939 0930 or Fax: 0118 939 0751
Email queries: boxoffice@readingarts.com

GENERAL INFORMATION
Web: www.womad.org Email: info@womad.org
24hr information line: 0870 751 96623
Post: WOMAD Free Mailing List, Mill Lane, Box, Corsham, Wiltshire, SN13 8PN

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WOMAD Rivermead, Reading - 29-31 July 2005
Fast Facts

• WOMAD is famously family-friendly with children’s workshop tents brimming with arts and crafts activities and a huge kids’ procession on Sunday afternoon.

• This year the Craft Tent will be hosting three artists from Sri Lanka, offering an opportunity to discover the secrets of traditional Sri Lankan weaving, silver-smithing and mask-making. Beautifully crafted original work from Sri Lanka will be on sale throughout the festival weekend.

• Over a hundred workshops for children and adults over the festival weekend will offer many a chance to meet performers and artists from around the world. Dancing, drumming and singing will be on offer and the children’s workshop tents will be buzzing with busy little hands creating and making fantastic and wonderful creations for the spectacular WOMAD procession on the Sunday.

• 2005 is the 16th year that the WOMAD organisation has teamed up with Reading Borough Council to present WOMAD at Rivermead. The festival has now sold out for the past nine years, with 2005 breaking all previous box office records.

• For the 6th year running, BBC Radio 3 will be broadcasting a ‘WOMAD Weekend Special’ live from the festival site, and WOMAD regular Charlie Gillett will be hosting his BBC London 94.9 show live from the Radio 3 Village Stage on Saturday night.

• WOMAD Rivermead will be the only event to be presented in the UK by WOMAD in 2005 - www.womad.org/reading

• Over the past 23 years more than 145 WOMAD festival events have taken place in 26 different countries and islands around the world, presenting an estimated 1,700 international artists to a live audience of over 1 million people.

• WOMAD Singapore was recently awarded ‘Best Event Experience 2004’ at the Tourism Awards, Singapore. This year’s festival will take place 26-28 August - www.womad.org/singapore

• WOMAD holds its first event in Sri Lanka this year. WOMAD Sri Lanka Festival of Drums takes place from 21-25 September and will feature a fantastic line-up of a dozen outstanding international percussionists including the spectacular Drummers of Burundi and master drummer Bill Cobham. The festival also gives a fascinating insight into the drum traditions of Sri Lanka with a special show choreographed by Ravibandhu Vidyapathy - www.womad.org/srilanka

• WOMAD’s plans for the coming year include events in: Cáceres and Madrid in Spain, Sicily, Singapore, Sri Lanka, The Canary Islands and Australia - www.womad.org

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WOMAD Festival, Rivermead, Reading
29-31 July 2005

CLUB WOMAD - THE HEART OF THE PARTY

Over the festival weekend, WOMAD’s 2500-capacity club venue will be home to some brilliant live bands and DJ sets.

With visuals from Temple Décor and atmospherics from Mystic Lights, the Club WOMAD line-up this year is as follows:

FRIDAY 29 JULY (9pm - 2am)

Bossacucanova (Brazil)
Bossacucanova’s sound is both classically Brazilian and forward thinking; a modern take on classic samba and bossa nova styles for today’s audience. The result is typically relaxed and organic, but with beats and melodies guaranteed to shake any dance floor around the world!

Soul Jazz Sound System (UK)
Representing the legendary Soul Jazz empire (record shop, label, and club night), the Soul Jazz Sound System famously serve up the finest moments of Jamaican music history all with a generous side order of funk, soul and hip hop. 100% Dynamite!

SATURDAY 30 JULY (9pm-2am)

Qool DJ Marv (USA)
Qool DJ Marv’s club night ‘Buttamilk’ is renowned as one of New York City’s finest. Expect to hear a genre-jumping, sublimely mixed set of proper party music - an eclectic mix of funk, latin, jazz, soul, reggae, hip hop and house.

Sergent Garcia (Spain/France)
The French ambassador of sunny beats; Sergent Garcia’s music is the antithesis of the chubby bourgeois character (Zorro’s sidekick) whose name he borrows. Spicy, resonant, dapper and invigorating, and apt and fresh mix of the best Jamaican and Cuban beats. Never before have reggae, salsa, son, cha-cha, ska, rumba and raga been so deliciously combined.

SUNDAY 31 JULY (8pm - 1am)

Future World Funk (UK)
Maverick DJs Russ Jones and Cliffy have been delighting London’s more open-minded club-goers for years. The approach is wide-open, eclectic, global, innovative and anchored on entertaining a crowd. Mashed up Brazilian 2-step, Arabic hip hop, Afro-house, vintage reggae, Latin ragga, Japanese funk, all of these and more find pride of place in the Future World Funk.

Nitin Sawhney DJ Set (UK)
The supremely talented Nitin Sawhney has made his name as a world-class producer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, orchestral composer and cultural pioneer. His work famously transcends musical and cultural boundaries, so expect nothing less from his DJ set at Club WOMAD this year!

Swami (UK)
Blending hard-hitting hip hop beats with heavy grunge-metal guitar riffs, ferocious rap and rock vocals, Swami represent a revolution in music. Representing their Indian roots, Swami throw traditional Indian sounds and vocals into the mix to create an explosive rap-rock-bhangra sound, named “DesiRock”.