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"Musicians and dancers from across the globe including David Rodigan, Lee &amp;quot;Scratch&amp;quot; Perry, Gilberto Gil and Rokia Traor\u00C3\u00A9 performed at WOMAD festival over the weekend (July 26 to 29).  The world music showcase at Charlton Park was attended by around 30,000 revellers on each day, mostly treated to sunshine, as well as an intense Saturday evening of rain and mud.   Afrobeat legend Seun Kuti and the seminal Lee &amp;quot;Scratch&amp;quot; Perry performed on Friday alongside singer Max Romeo. The crowd response was hugely positive, which will come as no surprise to anybody familiar with these prolific names.  Other highlights on Friday included Coronation Street actor and funk/soul DJ Craig Charles, as well as an afternoon performance from Steve Riley &amp;amp; The Mamou Playboys. Alternative hip-hop group Arrested Development delivered an upbeat and fun performance on the Open Air Stage on Saturday, continuing in their tradition of delivering positive messages and &amp;#039;anti-gangsta rap&amp;#039;, including material from their latest album &amp;#039;Standing At The Crossroads&amp;#039;.  Prior to that performance, African legend Rokia Traor\u00C3\u00A9 took to the stage in front of a sadly downsized and wet crowd, but nonetheless created a great atmosphere with her soulful yet intensely driving and powerful performance.  Yet more fan favourites from Saturday included Portuguese &amp;#039;fado&amp;#039; singer Carminho, backed with a brilliant three-piece acoustic outfit, Mercury Prize-nominated UK singer-songwriter Ed Harcourt and his almost Matt Bellamy-esque vocal delivery, and unexpected yet brilliantly-delivered Ethiopian jazz flavours from the Imperial Tiger Orchestra, a Swiss collective who have cemented themselves firmly in the African genre. A world away from what you&amp;#039;d expect from our own politicians, former Brazilian minister of culture and world music icon Gilberto Gil played an electrifying set that closed the Open Air stage on Sunday night.   Perhaps the most notable name from our own shores present at WOMAD was David Rodigan MBE, who packed out the Big Red Tent with his usual energetic DJ selection of reggae with various other crowd-pleasing gems thrown in.  Further Sunday gems included Zimbabwean pan-African six piece Mokoomba, UK folk singer Sam Lee, the incredibly upbeat and fast-paced Fanfare Ciocarlia, The Heavy of &amp;#039;How You Like Me Now?&amp;#039; fame and last but most certainly not least - the Red Hot Chilli Pipers, who offer their own bizarre yet seemingly perfect bagpipe-based renditions of classics such as Coldplay&amp;#039;s &amp;#039;Clocks&amp;#039; and Snow Patrol&amp;#039;s &amp;#039;Chasing Cars&amp;#039;.   Once again, the organisers at WOMAD succeeded in creating an immersive and exciting environment overall; from the alternative musings and treatments of the World of Wellbeing to the late night stomping festivities of Molly&amp;#039;s Bar.  Whether you&amp;#039;re a returning fan of world music or it&amp;#039;s an entirely new and confusing realm, the festival will instill a new-found appreciation for fresh and exciting sounds from a breadth of countries.  WOMAD is without a doubt one of the most fascinating and important festivals the UK has to offer, and shouldn&amp;#039;t be missed by anyone who is ready to learn and looking for something a little different to the usual commercial pop-rock of other festivals. Here&amp;#039;s hoping 2014 will live up to the 5-star experience of this weekend.   Picture gallery: WOMAD Festival 2013 at Charlton Park:  "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.digitalspy.com/music/live-reviews/news/a502334/gilberto-gil-david-rodigan-more-at-womad-2013-review-and-pictures/>