WOMAD

Culture

From Jamaica

This year’s WOMAD Rivermead has a heavy emphasis on the Caribbean and none come heavier than Culture. For the best part of 30 years, this trio have remained kings of roots reggae, the music of choice for every socially conscious (and herbally refreshed) Rastaman. Back in the latter half of the 1970s, the band was making as deep an impression as their compatriot Burning Spear. The rasping, tougher-than-tough vocals of leader Joseph Hill helped define an era, calling out to the world about the harsh reality of living in gun-mad Kingston. And the world was listening – at this time, the trio found much favour among the reggae-devoted quarter of the UK punk movement. (Indeed, Joe Strummer was such a fan that it’s been claimed – wrongly – that The Clash settled on their name in homage to Culture’s monumental album of 1977, Two Sevens Clash.) Their biggest hits – Poor Jah People, Tell Me Where You Get It, Two Sevens Clash’s anthemic title track – remain cherished to this day. This is simply classic roots reggae, songs whose messages, not to mention supreme musicality, haven’t lost a single drop of relevancy. Fashions in Jamaican music may change with a new moon, but the spiritual, timeless sound of Culture remains the truth, the light, the way.