- Your perception of Worldwide Festival probably depends on whether you think being able to buy six oysters and a glass of champagne for €12 at 3 AM is a good thing. Taking place in the charming French seaside town of Sete, Gilles Peterson's intimate gathering combines the comforts of a relaxing holiday with the thrills of a highly eclectic musical bill across a clutch of stunning outdoor venues.
The 2014 edition felt like a rowdier affair than my last visit in 2011, as the festival is now spread across a full week and offers more late nights. The opening party at the stunning Musée Paul Valéry is a sight to behold, taking place amidst the lush, dramatically cliff-banked gardens of the hilltop museum. Residents Simbad and GARFLD put in star turns as usual, lashing the sun-drenched crowd with disco, house and soul. Moxie's blend of rolling 4/4 and bassy cuts stole the show at the following day's afternoon party in front of the harbour-side art space CRAC.
The breathtaking Théâtre de la Mer is the jewel in Worldwide's crown, and truly one of Europe's most spectacular venues. The seaside amphitheatre affords beautiful views of the floodlit Mediterranean behind the stage, with steep banks of terraces rising up toward the sky. Peterson's multifarious set on the opening night embraced everything from samba to vintage Switch, while Andrew Ashong's balmy sundowners, Theo Parrish's smoky live set, Ebo Taylor's infectious Afrobeat and Osunlade's thumping house made for the most buzzing party of the week on Wednesday (following Tuesday's sadly rained-off affair).
The late afternoon beach sessions from Wednesday onwards were at their best when the artists were sympathetic to their surroundings. Sadar Bahar's blend of disco and funk edits was a particular highlight; Mala and Tribe Records' Zepherin Saint also went down a treat. Sadly, a tragic incident at the beach that Saturday led the organisers to cancel Sunday's event there—a very hard decision to make but one that felt entirely respectful given the circumstances.
The four late-night finishes under the St. Christ lighthouse by the harbour gave us the hard-grooving jazzy house of Japan's Hex, Four Tet and Floating Points' disco-heavy back-to-back, Special Request's brutalist jungle, Kyodai's melodic epics, Little Dragon's turbo-charged live versions, DJ RKK and Maga Bo's global taster menu and much more besides. The MC at St. Christ was met with a lot of bad feedback from the crowd, however—Peterson's exuberant speeches, intros and exclamations made for a much better hosting style.
"Eclectic" really is the mantra for Worldwide. You'll be hard pressed to find anyone who likes all of the acts, such is the diversity. The programming can at times feel a little overly adventurous with regards to timing and flow, but it's certainly more interesting than your standard straight-up dance festival. Go with an open mind and you'll make plenty of joyous new discoveries.
"We want to create moments of surprise, of discovery… of shock sometimes" explained promoter Franck Alfier of their daring approach. "It's part of the formula. As long as you come back home having discovered a couple of new bands that you liked, then the job is done. Big festivals are like Sky for us; you pay for 800 channels but you only watch four of them."
And while the Brits were out in full force this year—well-behaved and good-natured ones, it should be noted—the crowd was as diverse, friendly and enthusiastic as ever. Throw in delicious food and cheap wine at every party, a very manageable distance between venues and a wonderful town full of inviting locals, and it remains one of the world's truly great festivals.
Photo credits: Mistral Productions