Worldbeat Festival
Morecambe
23 + 24 August 2003

Reviewed by satori

Saturday - Afro / Carribean / Reggae reviewed below
Sunday - Euro Folk music click here to read about it

Festival? This was so not a festival. But let's be positive and not talk about the lack of publicity that kept this weekend one of the best-kept secrets in the region, the total absence of food concessions (at a pointlessly overpriced £300 a concession with few tickets sold, no-one could risk it) that meant we actually had to return home for some nosh, the lack of a beer tent, the disappearance of the global marketplace, the sparseness of punters, the fact that we were down to one venue - the Platform - and most of all, lets not compare it to any previous festivals, and especially not the WOMAD ones, or even last year's. Oh, and let's not question that the headline act was an accordian-player.

Despite the lack of audience, food, publicity and atmosphere the very energetic Hohodza Band worked their butts off - literally - to entertain outside. As their lead singer, the fabulously exotic Portia told it, they are the 'best band in Manchester'. Well, for my money even with only half the band present they were the best band on the Canopy stage for entertainment value thru the festival. (Tho I have to confess that I missed Chouchenn - sorry). Funny, good-humoured - I think they had the festival idea. Maybe they should be working for the Council? (Oops, I forgot, they ain't white.)

Ronnie Richardson's Reggae Band carried on the lively theme and managed to get a few of the passing audience onto their feet briefly althought they'd probably need their ankles seeing to after. They were warm and bouncy too, knocking out yer standard reggae sound - a lucky late booking.

They certainly didn't get much competition from Kwabena, who kicked off the day's ticket performances inside the Platform. Visually a very nice-looking band with a row of backing singers all in white satin, but the sound mixing was dire - the Platform is a challenging stone venue that needs sensitive sound handling. It didn't get it - a wall of muddy sound was compounded by the band's inability to change their pace. Kwabena says his singing career began with the first slap from the doctor who delivered him at birth. I can well believe it. As the audience sat like puddings, the band kept on belting out what seemed to be the same number over and over again. At one point it became apparent that Kwabena wanted us to repeat his song back. As we couldn't make out a single sound he was making this was hopeless and calls from the crowd for him to repeat it more clearly were blotted out by the noise. Eventually they got bored with us and resorted to playing Bob Marley standards. It wasn't original but it was better suited to the sound setup and things got more relaxed - despite their finale being stuffed by a bevy of Platform caterers in their check aprons stomping thru the hall in complete disregard of the ambi. At the end the band walked off treating us to a howl of feedback from a carelessly unplugged guitar. It just wasn't their day. The sweet smell of ganga floated across from a nearby table giving me the chance to test my optical digital zoom camera.

Things totally changed with Nucleus Roots. They played with a warmth and spirit that totally engaged the audience - also they got the sound up to a far cleaner and higher quality, which was a blessed relief. They knocked out some excellent tracks from their new album - Universal Love. And we danced our socks off, so I've no notes..... They were a great live band, full of light and joy.

Outside Morecambe's 'Pedal Power' had a stall next to the rapidly disappearing 'global marketplace' (a commercial tragedy for the few stallholders that turned up). They had these wierd bikes where you could sit in front and a wallah sits behind to drive you around. Cool. So we did that and it was fun. Apparently it's designed for disabled / visually impaired people to get a bit of cycling in. But we enjoyed it too!

The Baybeat lot turned up and did an energetic turn outside the Platform and a parade across the gardens too.

Funland was going strong, with kids having a ball in the sunshine - considerably more there than at the festival. It seems crazy that it has to be closed for the benefit of that crumbling ruin of a hotel, the Midland. A kid saw me photographing it and asked his parents what it was. 'A hotel', they answered. 'Has it got a swimming pool?' he asked.

Later walking back from the stone jetty in the evening mist the hotel loomed in the dark like the Titanic foundering against the submerged mass of the Dome. 'Just sink' I thought, 'and we can have a nice park here with skateboard ramps and workout apparatus and outdoor roller discos in the summer and licensed buskers..... You can't have Venice Beach in California any more cos they've all died or gone mad now, why not have it here?'.

Inside the Platform T and LA Touche kicked off and were absolutely stonking. A great gig, a lovely bunch, warm, engaging, full of life and music. Possibly primed by Kwabena they kicked off with a few Marley standards - done really well tho with a lot of fire - cooking a kind of urban jazz with trance reggae to make great dance beats. Then they risked their own stuff and the house totally rocked. They had total charisma. And then I should hope that musicians that used to combine celtic jigs with reggae ought indeed to be able to dazzle and amaze.

Topping the day's bill was Misty in Roots - guys with top cred. They started great - really present and on it - and for most people there it was good enough. But I felt that after a while they were really going thru the motions - the pace didn't change and they stopped watching the audience and just got on with the job. Understandable after all this time - and then I heard from a little bird in the Green Room that they'd spent some time and energy getting utterly off their faces pre-gig. Doubtless by this time they were yearning for the old pipe and slippers.

But don't listen to a me - next morning I spoke to these guys who thought Misty had been totally the pick of the day. For me it was Nucleus Roots and T + LA Touche. But I like to dance. Tomorrow comes the Worldbeat folk music day. Read the review