Our Top Picks for WOMAdelaide 2025
WOMADelaide has such an eclectic lineup it can be hard to know who to see. So we’ve made it easier by selecting our top picks you don’t want to miss at this year’s festival.
Words by Tobias Handke // Image by Nik Pate
WOMADelaide is the gift that keeps on giving. The annual World Music and Arts Festival returns for its 33rd edition this year with a stellar lineup of local, national and international artists taking to the stages across the festival’s four days.
Taking place at Botanic Park/Tainmuntilla from Friday, March 7 to Monday, March 10, this year’s WOMAD features over 700 artists from more than 38 countries performing across eight stages.
There’s a lot to take in across the long weekend and it can be slightly overwhelming when looking at the program and trying to decide who to see each day. So to give you a helping hand, we’ve come up with 12 acts you just have to check out during the festival.
We’ve picked an eclectic mix of artists, from UK singer-songwriter PJ Harvey to South African harmonic quintet The Joy, with our list covering a range of genres and countries so you can experience the full spectrum of what WOMAD has to offer.
So to make sure you get a great feel of what WOMAD is about and the talent on show, here’s The Note’s handpicked selection of artists we believe are must-see.
PJ HArvey (England)
Eight years since her last visit to our shores, the enigmatic PJ Harvey returns as WOMADelaide’s 2025 Friday night headliner.
One of the most important and influential artists to come out of the UK over the past 30 years, Harvey is a musical chameleon who continues to evolve with every release. The only artist to win the Mercury Prize twice for her incredible albums, Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea (2000) and Let England Shake (2011), Harvey constantly challenges her listeners with both her sound and lyrical chops.
Performing at WOMAD as part of her Australian tour in support of 2023s universally praised, I Inside the Old Year Dying, fans can expect to hear new songs, fan favourites and deep cuts when Harvey graces the main stage to close out the first night of festivities.
Digable Planets (USA)
Nothing beats ‘90s hip hop, and if you need proof, give Digable Planets two albums, Reachin' (A New Refutation of Time and Space) and Blowout Comb, a spin. Released in 1993 and 1994 respectively, the albums helped define the New York rap scene, combining boom bap with jazz samples and conscious rhythms.
After several breakups and reunions, the trio of Ishmael Butler (Butterfly), Craig Irving (Doodlebug) and Mary Ann Vieira (Ladybug Mecca) got back together in 2015 and have continued to perform for fans across the globe.
Digable Planets will play Blowout Comb in full at WOMAD, along with their best-known tracks for a concert not to be missed.
Emily Wurramara (Aus)
Warnindhilyagwa woman Emily Wurramara is the toast of the town. A powerful storyteller who writes and sings in English and Anindilyakwa language, Wurramara had an incredible 2004 that saw her win the ARIA Award for Best Adult Contemporary Album for her sophomore album, NARA. This adds to her 2019 AIR Award win along with six Queensland Music Awards.
Wurramara has shared the stage with the likes of Michael Franti, Mavis Staples, Midnight Oil, Missy Higgins and Thelma Plum and is performing at WOMAD as part of her NARA Encore tour, playing tracks from her latest album along with older favourites.
Durand Jones & The Indications (USA)
If you’re looking to add a little soul to your WOMAD experience look no further than Durand Jones & the Indications. Formed in 2012 by trio Durand Jones (vocals), Aaron Frazer (drums/vocals) and Blake Rhein (guitar), this contemporary R&B act will have you thinking you’ve just stepped back in time to the swinging ‘60s.
Merging vintage vibes with disco beats and harmonies that would impress the Bee Gees, Durand Jones & The Indications are an incredible act whose music translates better in the live arena than on record.
Their most recent release, Private Space, topped the US Heatseekers Chart and was awarded four stars by The Guardian in a glowing review that called the album “post-pandemic catharsis”.
3%(Aus)
While it might be the international acts that first attract people to WOMAD, it’s the local artists that keep people coming back. 3%, a powerful First Nations trio comprised of Dallas Woods, Nooky and Angus Field, are one of those acts who you can’t shake once you’ve heard their music.
Getting together on Invasion Day in 2022, their name represents the 3% of Indigenous people who make up Australia’s population. The group’s music is personal, empowering, firey and brutally honest – addressing issues facing Indigenous Australians, including racism and police brutality.
Listening to their debut album, Kill The Dead, you can’t help but become invested in not only their music, but the wider issues impacting Indigenous Australians. Live, they are a force to be reckoned with and will leave you in awe.
The Joy (SA)
Taking inspiration from their name, The Joy are all about bringing smiles to people’s faces, something they excel at with their delightful harmonies and rhymic melodies.
The quintet met at choir practice as kids and have continued to perform together ever since. The Joy released their self-titled debut album to rave reviews last year and became internet famous when they joined Doja Cat on the main stage of Coachella.
Counting Alicia Keys, Sam Smith and Jennifer Hudson as fans, The Joy will bring a touch of gospel to WOMAD, performing sets on Friday and Saturday.
Bala Desejo (Bra)
It might be a bit of a stretch to call Bala Desejo the Brazillian ABBA, but there’s some truth to this statement. Musically they are quite different, with Bala Desejo’s joyous arrangements flirting between Brazilian ‘60s Tropicália and ‘70s psychedelia, but both acts feature two women and two men who sing and craft music that’s inspiring people across the globe.
Originally getting together to perform at a festival in Brazil, their live debut was canned when the pandemic hit. The quartet decided to channel their energy into an album, releasing their debut, SIM SIM SIM, in 2022. It proved a worthwhile endeavour, with the album winning the Latin Grammy for Best Portuguese Language Contemporary Pop Album.
Since then Bala Desejo have gone on to perform at some of the biggest festivals across the world and are excited to bring their Brazilian rhythms Down Under as part of WOMAD 2025.
Khruangbin (USA)
Khruangbin had been flying under the radar for almost a decade before they dropped their charting Leon Bridges collab, ‘Texas Sun’. The tune brought Khruangbin to the mainstream where they quickly found themselves with a growing fanbase enamoured with the band’s ‘60s swagger meets ‘70s psychedelica.
Returning to Australia for their biggest tour yet, Khruangbin make their Adelaide and WOMAD debut next month where they will perform tracks from their most recent album, A La Sala, along with cuts from their four previous releases.
Get into the mood by checking out Khruangbin’s music video for the groovy single, ‘Pon Pón’.
Nils Frahm (Ger)
There’s goosebump-inducing magic to German composer and producer Nils Frahm’s arrangements. Across two decades Frahm has been releasing ambient and atmospheric music mixing vintage organic instrumentation with futuristic electronic elements.
Frahm has released 15 studio albums, with his most recent being last year’s Day, along with writing the soundtrack for the films Victoria and ELLIS.
His live performances are an emotional experience, with the Adelaide Review having this to say about his 2019 concert at Dunstan Playhouse: “Frahm’s hands are a blur as he pounds out a bigger and more intense wall of noise than all his equipment combined, leaving us with a simple truth: all the tools in the world are only as good as the artist using them. And this one’s certainly mastered his craft.”
Róisín Murphy(IRE)
When it comes to forward-thinking artists of the modern era, Róisín Murphy doesn’t get the credit she deserves. The Irish singer, songwriter and producer has almost had two careers – first as a member of the chart-topping pop duo Moloko and then as an award-winning solo performer.
Her WOMAD appearance is one we are super excited for, with Murphy performing tracks from across her incredible career, from Moloko hits ‘Sing It Back’ and ‘The Time Is Now’ to tracks from her most recent solo albums, 2023s Hit Parade.
Shabaka (UK)
André 3000 isn’t the only one making the flute cool again – British jazz composer and multi-instrumentalist Shabaka is also known for crafting flute-heavy arrangements that are genre-defying.
A member of several jazz collectives (Sons of Kemet, Melt Yourself Down, The Comet Is Coming), the award-winning Shabaka was primarily a saxophonist before picking up the flute during the pandemic.
This led to the release of Shabaka’s much-lauded debut album, Perceive Its Beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace. The 11-track collection features the aforementioned André 3000 along with his father, Anum Iyapo, and British electronic musician Floating Points.
Elsy Wameyo (Aus)
Homegrown talent Elsy Wameyo is a superstar in the making. An NSS x WOMADelaide Academy graduate, Wameyo merges contemporary hip hop with traditional African music, creating a hailstorm of cultures and experiences heard throughout her music.
Wameyo returned to her birth country of Kenya in 2024 to record her sparkling debut album, Saint Sinner. The album from the Unearthed Artist of the Year 2022 winner is a remarkable piece of storytelling cementing Wameyo as one to watch.
Her live performances are energetic and engaging, leaving you with a feeling of wonder and awe. Elsy Wameyo is one not to be missed.
WOMADelaide takes place Friday, March 7 - Monday, March 10. Tickets are still available via womadelaide.com.
