With a line-up covering all parts of the globe, WOMAD 2012 was greeted with perfect blue skies and Brooklands Park beaming with the vivid colours of a lush summer. The stage seems set for a perfect festival, so let's check out the myriad of sounds filling this beautiful arena.

The only necessary dilemma about an amazing festival is how to navigate your timetable, catch all the vital attractions and take in the random encounters that meet you along the way.

The great thing about WOMAD is everywhere we ventured there was something vibrant going on: Whether that be a performance on one of the six stages, artist workshops where the crowd was guided through the traditions and techniques of vocal/musical craft, a spree of intriguing music documentaries and even the Nova Energy Taste the World hosted by Jax Hamilton - where the passion of food added a little spice to the musical spree.

So let’s talk about the music! The Master Drummers of Burundi took on the TSB Bowl Stage at 8pm. This outfit has a history stretching back 40 years, with 20 drummers in unison banging out a primal beat into the belly of the festival. This kind of percussive energy is at the core of any WOMAD festival and was a great invitation to all the great acts that followed.

Tori Ensemble - from Korea - followed on the main stage, a hypnotic cluster of musicians with an ethos that considers music a dialect; an intellectual pursuit expressed through collective musicianship. While it may sound a little high brow - the results were mesmerising & a standing ovation was their swan song.

Baaba Maal of Senegal was perhaps the most revered act at WOMAD and took to the main stage with a colourful band and finely honed energy. A veteran of 10 albums and a collaborator with Blur/Gorillaz frontman Damon Albarn, Baaba Maal put on a fine show, making sure the vibes made it across the mote on the main stage.

Next up was the French group Lo'Jo on the Gables Stage, shelling out a concoction of Serge Gainsbourg style crooning with a beautiful French/Arabic fusion reminiscent of Sade or Les Nubians. The combo of sweet female vocals and the husky reflections of band leader Denis Pean, plus violinist visionary Richard Borreau - made for an intoxicating outro to a beautiful day.

Next up, sunny Saturday & a glorious timetable to boot.

By Brock Oliver

Check out our WOMAD photo albums:

• Album 1
• Album 2
• Album 3
• Album 4
• Album 5
• Album 6