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Lager, lager, lager: Iconic rave duo, whacky Canadian rockers join WOMAD lineup

Oct 14, 2026, updated Oct 14, 2026

An award-winning superstar returns to WOMADelaide for the first time in 30 years, alongside some other international headliners announced today.

Having previously played at WOMAD in 1995 and 1997, Christine Anu joins iconic UK ska band Madness, Grammy Award-winning R&B singer Leon Bridges and Malian desert blues group Tinariwen on the WOMADelaide 2027 lineup.

Another new addition to the festival is viral math-rockers from Canada (or outer space, if their outfits are anything to go by), Angine de Poitrine, whose signature papier-mâché masks have captured a new generation of music lovers.

Is that a booming “Lager lager lager” I hear from Botanic Park? British rave heavyweight duo Underworld is also playing next year, bringing the UK massive vibes to the park lands.

They will perform on the lineup with four-time Grammy-nominated DJ Kenny Dope (USA), Jamaican dub-reggae artist Hempress Sativa and acclaimed DJ Bradley Zero (UK), who is one of the original Boiler Room programmers, as the festival livens up over the long weekend.

Adelaide-based contemporary circus group Gravity and Other Myths also returns to WOMADelaide, while rapper, producer and multi-instrumentalist Trials, one half of rap duo A.B. Original, will make his festival debut with his new solo album hendle.

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Other artists making their return to WOMAD in 2027 include Ukrainian contemporary folk quartet DakhaBrakha, who first performed in 2011, as well as Indian violinist Dr L Subramaniam, who performed at the first festival in 1992.

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Artists from a diverse range of genres and countries will make their WOMADelaide debut across the festival’s four days, which runs from March 5 to March 8 in Botanic Park.

They include contemporary Irish folk quartet The Haar, India’s first all-female rap group in Wild Wild Women, Turkish/Dutch psychedelic rock band Altin Gün and Bhutan Balladeers – the first Bhutanese group to perform at the festival.

American synth-pop duo Haute and Freddy, trance-rock group Claudio Rabe (Madagascar/Réunion) and Spanish singer Maria Arnal, who won a Gaudí Award in 2025 for Best Original Score, are also making their debuts at WOMADelaide in 2027.

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Director Ian Scobie AM said it was “an enormous honour” to be leading one of Australia’s longest-running festivals.

“But what makes it truly special is that the spirit of discovery, connection and celebration that sparked WOMADelaide in 1992 is as alive today as ever,” he said.

“After 35 years, I am immensely proud of what this festival continues to bring to our city – and to the people who return year after year to be part of it.”

Making its return to WOMADelaide are the Taste the World programme – where artists share recipes from home – The Planet Talks sessions discussing environmental and global issues, and KidZone, which features activities for children.

Tourism Minister Emily Bourke said the 2027 lineup was “a fitting celebration of the World’s Festival’s 35th anniversary”.

“For over three decades, WOMADelaide has been a jewel in our state’s major events calendar, bringing together extraordinary artists and audiences from every corner of the globe into our beautiful parklands,” she said.

Bourke also hailed the “incredible economic boost for our tourism and hospitality sectors” that WOMADelaide brings to South Australia.

More artists are set to be announced, with tickets on sale now.