Bellingen Global Carnival

Bellingen Global Carnival is one of those festivals, which you attend and feel completely at home and swear you will go year in, year out.  Every festival goer has them; in Australia mine would be Folk Rhythm & Life, Island Vibe, Meredith, Golden Plains and now Bellingen Global Carnival.  For those of you who haven’t been to Bellingen Global Carnival it is a small festival with approx. 5,000 people and is located in the town of Bellingen which is about 30 minutes drive from Coffs Harbour. The festival started out as a jazz festival, but has morphed into a world music festival with 2010 hosting some of larger names on the world music scene: Baaba Maal from Senegal, Lulo Reinhardt from Germany and Ego Lemos from East Timor.

Arriving into Coffs Harbour via Sydney, we were faced with the first of many challenges for the weekend How to get from the Airport to the festival?  As there was no bus from the airport to Bellingen and the taxi fare was around $100 we decided to try our luck with the festival crew, who were ferrying artists from the airport to the festival. After a couple of conversations with the Cumbia Cosmonauts and the volunteer staff, we boarded a bus and headed to Bellingen with the Cumbia Consmonauts, and members of the Public Opinon Afro Orchestra and the Black Jesus Experience. This was a clear indication that whatever challenges would arise this weekend, the friendly folk involved with the festival will ensure a good time is enjoyed by all.

Once our tent was setup, we had a look at the festival program to plan the first night of music. The headliner of the night being Lulo Reinhardt; whose grand uncle was the amazing gypsy jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt, but before then a diverse range of acts where on hand to entertain the crowd.  First up on the main stage were The Black Jesus Experience, a 10 piece ensemble from Melbourne who started proceedings off with their unique blend of Afro-Jazz, funk and Hip-Hop. Their horn section was razor sharp and they set the tone for the weekend.

Next up were Grrilla Step the worlds first ever krump band, their set started late as DJ Dexter’s flight from Melbourne was delayed.  When they did take to the stage the all ages crowd went off, with teenagers down the front jumping for the stars and adults at the back even joining in the “krumping” experience.  For those who haven’t seen Grrilla Step, they weave Polynesian log drumming led by drummer extraordinaire Airi Ingram (Drum Drum) with beats and breaks created by DJ Dexter (the Avalanches) to create music entirely original and unheard before.  Apart from bringing the Pacific roots into the future, Grrilla Step has a group of dancers who take to the stage to entertain the crowd.  These dancers switch from traditional Polynesian moves to Krumping battles, which captivate the crowd. The only problem with a Grrilla Step gig is deciding to stay transfixed on the stage or let yourself loose into a world of beats.

Byron Bay’s Fyah Walk were up next on the Bazaar stage, and there reggae tunes had the packed tent skanking away.  However it was time to return to the main stage to see Lulo Reinhardt, who did not disappoint.  His fusion of gypsy jazz and latin shows that he does not want to rest on his famous grand uncle’s laurels, but wants to forge his own identity.

Day 2 came and the skies were ominous as I headed for the Bazaar stage to enjoy a celebration of East vs. West with Tibet2Timbuk2.  If you enjoy eastern influenced music be sure to check this trio from Brisbane out as their use of the tabla and dranyen with guitar won’t disappoint.  Ego Lemos was up next on the main stage; however a couple of songs into his set the skies opened up and the rain set in but not before hearing the beautiful but haunting track Balibo from the Australian film of of the same name.

The next couple of hours were spent in the Star Bar out of the rain enjoying a couple of bands from Melbourne; Woohoo Revue and Unified Gecko.  With the rain going nowhere and the 15 headed Afro-Beat monster, The Public Opinion Afro Orchestra (POAO) about to take the main stage one had to abandon the thought of staying dry.  With the spirits of Fela Kuti and James Brown being channelled, the POAO whipped the crowd into a frenzy with tracks from their debut album “Do Anything Go Anywhere”.  The highlight of their set was definitely ‘Future Africa’ with its catchy chorus led by a trio of backing vocalists and a searing 5 piece horn section.

With the Bazaar Stage heaving to Grrilla Step, we headed to the Star Bar stage to see Australia’s first ever Cumbia band Cumbia Cosmonauts.  Their experimental Columbian music, with a sprinkling of dub and psychedelic was a pleasure on the ears and the matching visuals a treat for the years.  Be sure to check these tropical cowboys out when they are in your town next.

The time had come for the great Baaba Maal to blow Bellingen’s minds! An exclusive to the Bellingen Global Carnival and the main reason for my journey north to the festival, to say I was excited was an understatement.  From the moment they walked onto the stage it was evident that his band is a tight nit bunch, who has honed their craft from playing together; as they switched from extended jams, to medleys and solos.  Baaba’s warmth and generosity was greatly appreciated by members of The Public Opinion Afro Orchestra as they joined the band on stage throughout the set to dance African style.

It was Baaba Maal’s first time in Australia for 11 years, and with his long time collaborator Masour Seck at his side their set list was compiled from his entire back catalogue.  International and African Woman were greeted with the loudest reaction from the rain soaked crowd.  A truly amazing set, that rates as one of the best I have seen at a festival and showcased why he has been at the forefront of African and World music for the better part of 30 years.

It’s always a tough task following on from the headliner at the festival and this task was further compounded by Bellingen Global Carnival being on the receiving end of 10 hours of constant rain.  The Bamboos took on the task with gusto and had the remainder of the crowd dancing to the finest funk band around the globe today.   Even Baaba Maal and his band must have enjoyed what they were hearing as they joined the crowd in the mud.

As we awoke Sunday morning and rose from our tent there was hope that we’d see blue skies but it was not to be, with the rain pouring down and people moving their tents from bodies of water flowing through the camp site.  News quickly filtered around that the final day of the festival was cancelled due safety concerns in the campsite and around the stages.  Faced with the dilemma of a) packing up and heading for a warm dry hotel in Coffs or b) tough the rain out in hope that a couple of the bands might play an impromptu gig around town.  Option B won hands down, so we headed into town to find a space to setup up our tent for the night as all other accommodation options were long exhausted. 

Once again we were not let down; the local Lawn Bowls Club joined together with The Public Opinion Afro Orchestra and Bombay Royale to ensure that some of the staff, bands and lucky punters could enjoy some tunes for the night. The POAO were first up and ripped through an hour long set of the finest Afro-Beat / Afro-Funk that any Lawn Bowls Club has ever seen, it felt like we were in a sweaty club in Lagos as the 300 capacity crowd danced the disappointment of the day’s cancellation away.  After a 15 minute interval Bombay Royale took the stage and turned it into a Bollywood extravaganza. This new Melbourne based ensemble play surf, disco and funk tunes from 1960’s and 70’s Bollywood films. Whilst this may sound disastrous on paper I can assure you it is not, it was brilliant set to close the festival.

As the crowd piled out of the Lawn Bowls Club and headed to rest their weary feet, one could not help but smile at such an amazing way to end one of the best festivals in Australia! Global Carnival you’ve found a big fan and I will see you next year, and the year after…