WOMADelaide has offered the first taste of its 2027 lineup, revealing Leon Bridges, Madness, and Tinariwen will head to Adelaide next March.
The early announcement comes ahead of the festival’s full program reveal, with WOMADelaide set to celebrate its 35th anniversary when it returns to Botanic Park/Tainmuntilla from March 5th-8th, 2027.
Grammy-winning US singer-songwriter Leon Bridges will arrive with his new Happiness Anytime tour, named after his fifth studio album (due out September 25th). The record marks another shift in sound for Bridges, drawing on Jamaican dancehall, funk and Afrobeat and produced by Jungle’s J Lloyd and Lydia Kitto.
Bridges has moved between vintage R&B, soul and country across his career, beginning with his 2015 debut Coming Home and more recently releasing Gold-Diggers Sound in 2021 and Leon in 2024. His list of collaborators has also included Khruangbin, The Avalanches, Olivia Dean and Shaboozey.
For his Happiness Anytime shows, Bridges will be joined by a DJ, horn section and backing vocalists, with the new live setup reflecting the album’s emphasis on rhythm, movement and dance.
British ska-pop veterans Madness will also join the bill, marking their first Adelaide appearance since the 1980s. The WOMADelaide set follows news that the band will return to Australia for their first local show since 2017, making their Sydney Opera House Forecourt debut on March 5th.
Across more than four decades, Madness have scored ten UK top-ten albums and 15 top-ten singles, including “Our House”, “It Must Be Love”, “Baggy Trousers”, “House of Fun” and “One Step Beyond”.
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Rounding out the first announcement are Grammy-winning Tuareg group Tinariwen, who will return to WOMADelaide more than two decades after making their festival debut in 2004. Formed in northern Mali, the group have spent decades bringing Tuareg music and stories to international audiences, blending electric guitar and blues with traditional Saharan sounds. Their music has also remained closely connected to the experiences and struggles of the Tuareg people.
“We want people to hear that in our land, our people and our animals are being killed, and we need to find a way to make peace. Until that happens, we have no choice but to continue singing,” the band said.
WOMADelaide has also expanded its ticketing options for 2027, with one, two, three and four-day passes available alongside payment plans. See all details here.
