WOMAD
15th – 17th March 2024
Pukekura Park, New Plymouth, New Zealand.
Review by Tim Gruar and Rob Harbers with photography by Chris Zwaagdyk.
Friday, 15th March.
Before beginning we want to acknowledge all of those who lost their lives at Al Noor Mosque and the Linwood Islamic Centre on Friday, 15th March five years ago.
I vividly remember driving up to New Plymouth when the news came through not long after 2pm that this horrific incident was playing out. At the time I’d just been pulled over for speeding and the cop who was writing me out a ticket suddenly stopped and looked at me with alarm. “Hey, turn up the radio,” he said. We listened intently, not quite able to comprehend what we were hearing.
Oddly, there was very little acknowledgement in the opening remarks by the WOMAD team tonight, five years on. The most memorable comments came from a nervous Paul Goldsmith, who tried to claim the festival was part of the new Government’s 100 day plan. If only it was. Arts funding in Aotearoa seem to be very far from the headlines at present.
One of the bigger concerns going in to this year’s event was the prospect of the weather. Forecasts weren’t looking dead promising, with the consistent theme across providers being rain on Friday, and generally cooler temperatures than what is normally associated with the festival. New Plymouth being what it is, and consistent in its inconsistency, the previous two days had shown us two extremes – pissing down on Wednesday when we arrived, gloriously sunny on Thursday! So waking to rain on Friday felt somewhat foreboding…
Thankfully things dried up sufficiently on Friday to allow for successful setup of the campsite at least – always the first test of the true WOMAD experience. Forget staying offsite, getting down and dirty in the camping site is where it’s at! Once your tenting arrangement is set up, you’re ready for anything, and the weekend stretches out in front of you.
One of the best things about WOMAD is the variety of food on offer. Dinner was a Thai beef salad, washed down with a Garage Project ‘WOMAD Resonance’, a tasty IPA, which the makers claim is brewed in a shed whilst blasting world music while the yeast ferments. And a special mention to the outfit that made the best pork bao and tempura mushrooms. Yum! With at least 20 pop up restaurant stalls and food carts on site, we were spoiled for choice.
But enough preamble – you want to hear about the music! Seeking a quieter entry in to proceedings, we first went to see Lisa O’Neill, with her haunting vocals and touching tales, her delicious Irish lilt adding to the magic. Performing without her partner in crime Cormac Begley, due to him having to return home for a family emergency, this diminutive truth-teller proceeded to gather in the audience with her stories and songs drawn from real life, imbued with a mystical outlook that was enchanting. With that said, however, it must also be said that her choice of an opening number, a cover of Randy Newman’s ‘I Think it’s Going to Rain Today’ felt somewhat as if it was tempting fate!
Her set was largely composed of original material, with a consistent thread of a deep connection with the world around her (one of the songs described a conversation with a blackbird – how much more connected can you be?) and unfortunately was interspersed with its own natural touches, in the form of the odd rain shower.
I’m not saying she called them down, not at all – but I get the feeling that she could’ve, if she wanted, such was her power of delivery. One of the more unusual of the instruments that she played was the Shruti box which was employed to great effect in her brief ‘truteen’ (“not quite a song, but more than a poem“) about the impact of cashless transactions on the already marginalised – this is someone who thinks deeply about the world around them.
But the highlight for me was in her dedication of a song to the cause of Palestine freedom – a welcome antidote to some of the other platforming being offered elsewhere at this event! All around, a great way to open my festival experience, easing in to the weekend.
Next up was Zambian (Zamrock) psychedelic rock act W.I.T.C.H (We Intend To Create Havoc) who busted up the stage with a brilliant act mixing African dance rhythms and 60’s blues/pop infused with heavy African percussion.
Dubbed ‘the Beatles of Zambia’, due to their massive popularity and their awesome garage, blues and psych-rock sound. They were huge part of the explosive music scene in Zambia during the mid-’70s. The group dissolved in the ‘80s, due to affected by economic crises, social restrictions, and the AIDS epidemic. But an unexpected revival came in 2011 when their music was re-released to a European vinyl record buying public.
Emmanuel ‘Jagari’ Chanda, the only surviving member of the group, is still a force on stage and a powerhouse of energy and charm. Supported by a much younger but highly effective crew they blast through a set dripping with 60’s guitar fuzz. Hits such as ‘Living in the Past’, ‘Waile’, ‘Lazy Bones’ and ‘Thou Shalt Not Cry’ grab your attention and demand your feet and body start groovin’.
Then it was time for Strawpeople, and I can’t believe that this was only their second gig ever. They may be ‘electro-pop royalty’, as the billing claimed, and ‘the epitome of nineties cool’ but it was a more orderly, stately vibe that Paul Casserly, Fiona MacDonald and original vocalists Stephanie Tauevihi and Leza Corban chose for this gig. With the music mixed up by Casserly, and supported by various musicians they delivered a quality set from the group’s back catalogue, including and funky version of ‘Trick With A Knife’, ‘Sweet Disorder’ and a beautifully ambient rendition of ‘Taller Than God’ with just MacDonald and a keyboardist accompanying.
It was also good to see the return of Tauevihi and Corban as they did flawless revivals of past bangers such as ‘Scared Of Flying’ and ‘Have A Little Faith’. Having just been released it also made sense to do ‘Second Heart’ from the new album Knucklebones. Sadly, I had to slip away before seeing the whole hour but what I heard was pretty cool. I hope they take it as a win and consider doing more live sets. I’d be signing up.
After then checking out the well-received set from Strawpeople, I returned to the Gables stage for the appearance of Arooj Aftab, but unfortunately this coincided with Lisa’s predictive abilities, in the form of rain, and lots of it – causing me to seek shelter under the beer tent, which meant being surrounded by intrusive conversations, and this losing the subtleties of much of her words! But when I eventually emerged from cover, what I did see was truly mesmerising, simultaneously ethereal and powerful, bringing to the performance all the experience of her multi-cultural background.
I also caught a few songs from Australian based Mongolian throat singer/folk act Equus. Blending familiar harmonies with drums, bass and traditional instruments, like the morin khuur horsehead fiddle and the Turkish saz and that unique deep growl, from master Bukhu Ganburged, they gave us some delightful, even enchanting music. Their canon embodies the spirit of a thousand generations with a textural soundscape that was quite bewitching. If it wasn’t for the rain and the mud of the forest floor I would have been happy to stretch out and soak up the ambience, in a truly blissful state, They play again later in the weekend and I might just have to return for more of that evocative and otherworldly experience.
Back at the Brooklands stage it was time for the hugely energetic and deeply electronic Ibibio Sound Machine (fronted by the incredibly dynamic Nigerian singer Eno Williams), before heading down the hill for the Bowl appearance of the past master of Tropicália, Gilberto Gil. This 81(!) year old troubadour, on his final world tour, along with his family band (literally all of them were members of his extended family!) showed the pure class and skill that has sustained a career spanning seven decades. In the midst of this was a time serving as Brazil’s Minister of Arts and Culture – a marked contrast to our current woeful regime, many of whom wouldn’t even know their arts from their elbows!
The enjoyment the players were feeling in bringing us their music was clearly visible, and infectious, particularly among the sizeable Brazilian contingent who were present (and waving some large Brazilian flags, in an interesting contrast to the enforcement of the no-flag policy later in the weekend!). The repertoire ranged far and wide across the long career, with a particular standout being the pair of songs on which Gilberto’s niece Flor featured on vocals, firstly in a duet on the “reggae bossa nova” treatment of “The Girl From Ipanema” , and then solo vocal on a rendition of “Moon River” that was stunning in its absolute purity.
A version of Bob Marley’s “No Woman, No Cry” provided the opportunity to hear the man’s songs from a different performer than the one who supports genocide, which was nice. But this was, overall, a performance to which words can’t begin to do justice – an absolute master of his craft, retiring at the top of his game, to put the seal on a great festival opening night, one of many highlights.
Another fav of the night was DJ extraordinaire Lady Shaka, who I had the pleasure of interviewing earlier in the evening. Both a dancer and Club DJ they bring their Pacific Island, indigenous Māori and Cape Verdean culture to the stage.
Growing up as a dancer, they told me, that in Pacific cultures “music was always seen as a vessel, or way to express your self and your people“, it makes the “body move, speak, communicate and tell stories, even pictures, and pass down information from your tupuna”.
Now based in London, where they’ve made a name for themselves in high profile gigs like the Boiler Room, their musical selection is a true representation of both a queer identity as a fem queen and a connection to the moana (ocean) and the all diasporas they belongs to.
And we definitely got that tonight. With dancers in Tokelauan costume, drummers, cheer girls, a Samoan (or was it Hawaiian) ‘hula’ style dancer and many other varieties the supporting dance crew were a spectacle in their own right.
Mixing Pacifica sounds and DJ beats and live drums the music was a true celebration and infectious too. It was the perfect energy to sweep away the remaining late summer cloud banks and truly get this party really started.
And back tomorrow to do it all again!
Saturday, 16th March.
Saturday morning started brisk – about 5 degrees. Cool Southerlies drifted over the 3,500 strong campsite spread out across the adjacent race track. A bit of rain overnight softened the grounds but it never turned full Glasto-mud fest, thank goodness. After a hearty breakfast we and about 16,000 others onsite for this rapidly warming Saturday were ready to rumble.
I however went on a long hikoi to obtain extra tent pegs to tie things down a little better at the above-mentioned campsite. Tip for future WOMAD-ers:get all the pegs you need before you go, because they’ve like hen’s teeth in Ngamotu CBD on WOMAD Saturday!! It helped my daily step count no end though, so I guess there was that…
I was intending to catch Anthonie Tonnon’s set on the Gables stage, but the unexpected length of my walk made that near-impossible. However the wind direction was such that it carried much of the sound across to the campsite, so I managed to connect remotely, in a way. And of course, Tim managed to head along to write a few words about him at least.
There were plenty of families today, rolling in with the young one’s and the older one’s too. The great thing about WOMAD is there are special stands for those over 65 yrs, should they want them. So, this is a festival where you are likely to come across both baby strollers and zimmerframes. Both, i might add highly decorated in glitter and brightly coloured fabrics. Everybody dresses up for this festival!
First up on the TSB Bowl Stage was Alternative pop band, Leenalchi, who play with a genre-defying musical style that melds familiar, unfamiliar, folk and D’n’B grooves all at once. The group has become the hippest act in Korea, beginning as a one-off theatre project back in 2019 and now exploding across world music stages across the globe. Ahead of three gigs in England as part of the K-Music Festival, I spoke to the band’s leader, Jang Young-gyu, in Seoul.
Their music feature verses from the traditional Korean tale, Sugungga. This is an ancient story about a dragon king from the Southern Seas, a softshell turtle (they have a song about that) and a very clever rabbit (and this one, too), and has been spoken and sung across centuries.
They begin with a crazy re-interpretation of one seen called ‘Tiger Is Coming’. The seven-piece use all three of their vocalists, two female, one male, to deliver with impact through ear bending solos, counter-intuitive choral harmony drones, even rapping and spasmodic dance. Yet their rhythms are familiar pop and dance tracks, as if this is some kind of different dimension drawing inspiration from ‘80s new wave.
“It doesn’t matter if you can’t understand the lyrics, your body will understand the music.”
Blending pansori and K-pop could go badly but not this time. After a few sound hiccups they were off, charming and amazing the crowd in equal measure.
I saw them again on Sunday, at the Gables stage. Under coloured lights they were really electric, and although their act is a simple pop band set up they were super funky. I was looking around to buy the vinyl. I want this music in my collection.
We caught part of the set from the delightfully quirky UK duo Good Habits, ala Bonnie Schwarz and accordionist Pete Shaw, who were absolutely brimming with folky goodness, singing songs about falling in love with refrigerators (or at least the family photos and magnets we attach to them) and hitch hiking in the UK (where every pick up is a maniac of some kind, or so it’s thought). Chatting to them afterwards, I learned about how they made their first album whilst stranded here in lockdown, boosted by 200 post-COVID gigs to make a crust. Hailing from Manchester, but forged in Aotearoa, their sound made with accordion and cello is a perfect mid afternoon chill out to.
It’s true that there are few songwriters working in Aotearoa that have forged the kind of path that Anthonie Tonnon has. I mean who has the gall to write about Australian Air Crashes in the 60’s or the perils of a rural industrial plant (Mataura Paper Mill)? These are not the usual subjects, now are they?
I’ve seen his experiments with synthesizers, samplers, and drum machines change his sonic palette over the years. But not how it shapes up with a full band, led today by Brooke Singer (French For Rabbits).
I think people were genuinely intrigued by this Whanganui son and local elevator operator (oh yes, he does that, too). They enjoyed his tenor warblings and aching lyrics, especially on character-driven stories in ‘Two Free Hands’ (on the evolution and the future of work for school leavers), Machiavellian local government politics in ‘Water Underground’. Or his passion for lost railways (‘On the Topic of the 1977 Cancellation of the Blue Streak Railcar’).
Rob’s first act was Estonia’s Mari Kalkun, with her ethereal tales of connection to the earth, ironically enough for one so grounded on this world sounding almost other-worldly. She taps in to an ancient spirit, one that recognises the connection between the planet and all that lives on it, and combines it with a modern sensibility, using looped and layered sounds to create an enchanting mix. As she said, Estonian philosophy holds that “every song must have a reason” and these pieces definitely lived up to that expectation – even if we couldn’t understand the words, the spirit shone through! And followed off by the sweetest and most touching bit of literal crowd work I’ve ever seen.
Then it was the shlep over to the Brooklands stage to catch Moonlight Benjamin, with their surprisingly rocking take on World Music (whatever that may mean, in this day and age). One thing that was noticeable about the overall WOMAD lineup this year was the relatively low number of bands prominently featuring brass, and a tendency towards more electronic and outright rock sounds, and Moonlight Benjamin fitted well in to this categorisation – this is a riff-led rock package, with a funky bottom end, topped with Afro vocal stylings, seeking to spread ‘positive energy’. And that they did, no doubt attracting a sizeable number of new fans along the way.
It was then time to make one of WOMAD ‘s longest journeys, from the Brooklands stage down to the tiny Dell Stage, being at opposite corners of the venue from each other, with the hill in between, for Pt Tejendra Narayan Majumdar (One of the most celebrated sarod players of our time) and Dr Ambi Subramanian (the “new King of Indian violin” according to the Times of India). And the musical journey was about as extreme, going to largely improvised Indian classical music.
They explained that their backgrounds were quite distinct, one of them coming from a tradition of North Indian, and the other from South Indian classical music. Together with tabla players Tanmoy Bose and VV Ramana Murthy, they performed, for nearly an hour, an extended improvisation showing the instrumental interplay at the heart of the Indian tradition. As further explained, only the first 30 seconds or so were pre-written music, the rest completely improvised. And truly dazzling it was, the intensity of the playing at times evoking a heavy metal jam session, such was the power of the sound produced-rousing stuff indeed!
I only caught a few moments from Pongo, but wow, I need to go see her again! Known as the ‘new diva of Kuduro’. This is a dance music genre, a kind of Hip Hop-Soul-Rock mash-together that’s fast, energetic and feisty. It emerged from the civil unrest in Angola in the ’80s, as did singer-dancer Pongo to break down musical barriers and connects Kuduro to Afrobeat, funk to dancehall.
We saw plenty of that on stage today, with a blasting fusion of electronic beats and trad. Angolan sounds, powered by Sungura and rap.
A highlight was when she invites 6 young wāhine on stage to dance with her, including some massive high kung fu kicks and a bit of good ‘ol booty shaking and twerking. It brought the house down.
What followed, for Rob, was a demonstration, in the space of a scant hour, of the highs and lows of the WOMAD experience. The next artist to play was the night’s headliner, and known supporter of the genocidal Israeli Defense Force, Ziggy Marley.
Having no wish to support the platforming of this artist, but rather to remember those who have suffered at the hands of those he supports, I took part in the impromptu protest action against him, consisting of a parade through the crowd accompanied by Palestinian flags. It was quite clear that this action was anticipated by security staff, as the concentration of security and police uniforms around the main stage area was highly visible.
And it was also noticeable that these same security staff suddenly remembered the policy on flag sizes that’d been so conveniently ignored during the appearances of other acts, seeking to confiscate any flag larger than 30cm – this combination of ignorance and enforcement not exactly matching the rehearsed lines spouted by security of WOMAD being non-political. In my opinion, by its very nature WOMAD is intensely political, in its intention of seeking unity and connection across lines of nationhood and ethnicity.
So platforming one who supports the forces actively seeking the genocide of another culture does not sit right with me. Coupled with this, while participating in the march, I inadvertently dropped my phone wallet, containing not only the phone but all my bank, etc. cards. So we had the low point of WOMAD’s platforming of this man (something I signed the petition against) and the high of feeling part of actively pushing back against it. And that, followed by another low point – being suddenly without the ability to contact anyone and the sick feeling inside that goes with losing such items – all balanced with the degree of faith inspired by the general WOMAD vibe, being fairly confident that I’d be reunited with it eventually.
And thankfully that faith was rewarded before long, with the whole wallet, fully intact, being returned.
So a bounce between two poles of disappointment with WOMAD organisers and (some) security staff, and absolute joy at the crowd spirit that led to the safe return – a rollercoaster ride indeed!
Every year, WOMAD supports an up and coming local artist. This year, that was Rei (Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Pākeha) who whizzed up the charts with his feel good party starter ‘Good Mood’. Now he definitely lifted spirits. Supported by a DJ and dance crew, he was all over the stage, making his presence felt and radiating positivity.
His trademark is good vibes and bilingual bangers, mixing up a catchy blend of hip hop, pop and te reo Māori. Tonight he put on his festival showman skills and had the younger members of the audience eating out of the palm of his hand. Not all of his songs were his, with some mashups of others. Not that it mattered.
Our night finished with a stroll down to the Dell stage to check out the techno fury Halfqueen was brewing up. As a queer DJ with a Fijian and Pākehā heritage whakapapa to draw on, their beats are both unapologetic and empowering. Like all DJ’s on the WOMAD ticket, it was their mix of specialized global club sounds, interwoven with elements of nostalgia that brought completed, unfiltered joy to her set, delighting her small following of furious ravers.
After that, a soothing hot chocolate was surely the order of the day, before retiring to the campsite in readiness for day three.
Sunday, 17th March.
Another cold night in the tent. The maunga (Taranaki) certainly determines how the weather will be around here. Looking up there was a dusting of snow on the upper slopes.
The final day commenced with the decidedly political Dakhabrakha, from Ukraine, making their second appearance at WOMAD, having first visited in 2016 – almost a lifetime ago, it feels! Their powerfully percussive sound formed an impressive rallying cry against the injustices currently being inflicted on their homeland at the hands of the imperialist oppressor.
In case anyone wasn’t sure what it was they were speaking against, the war imagery being projected on to the backing screen, along with statements such as ‘Russia is a terrorist state’ and ‘Ukraine will win’ left no room for doubt! This is an impressive outfit on a mission to the world, asking that we not forget them – and with such a purity of expression, it’s unlikely that anyone witnessing this would forget them in a hurry.
Wearing a funky green top hat and avant-garde black clothing, Bailey Wiley, who’s also from Taranaki by the way, confidently took the afternoon stage and sweetly rocked us with her velvet rich vocals and RnB grooves. We saw her last year with Fly My Pretties, as one of several lead vocalists totally capable of holding the show together. Grinning ear to ear she was having a ball moving from sexy slow jams to wāhine empowering odes of strength, informed by her upbringing in Hāwera and the dynamic nightlife of Berlin she gave us songs about partying hard and chillin’ out (‘Put D’Angelo On’) and the down to earth realities of love and plenty of musings on motherhood (‘Baby Mama’).
While Tim was at Bailey Wiley, I was checking out Son Rompe Pera, who would have to be my personal festival highlight! Knowing little of what to expect, their opportunity to impress was wide open, and they jumped in feet first. Combining a Ramones-adjacent energy level with a hugely impressive mastery of a massive xylophone(!) often played by two band members simultaneously, this was most decidedly not the mariachi band of Mexican cliché – far more the rebellious shit-kickers from the other end of town!
Demonstrating once again that music is the universal language, their performance had a packed crowd at the Gables stage singing along with them in Spanish – highly likely not having any idea of what it was they were saying! But it’s all good when you trust the choirmasters.
At the same time as having such a high level of energy and rocking out so readily, there were also quieter moments interspersed throughout, showing their impressive ability to alternate between the loud and the quiet bits.
But, quite frankly, I enjoyed it so much that I didn’t get a lot of notes – so that’s about all I can really say – explosive energy, alternating with the deftest quietness, making this my favourite act of the festival!
A little later in the evening saw Morcheeba taking to the Bowl Stage, for a set that perfectly matched its mid-evening placement. Opener “The Sea” started things off in a silky smooth, low-key style, leading vocalist Skye Edwards to kick off her shoes to get comfy. I can’t profess to being hugely familiar with the bulk of Morcheeba’s repertoire, so I can’t tell you the name of the next song, but its cranked-up and funky pace made it one worth getting the shoes off for!
This was a largely blissed-out set that at the same time had some beautiful extended guitar solos, particularly exemplified by “Never An Easy Way”, and the nicely mellow “Enjoy the Ride”, all sung in Skye’s beautifully sultry voice.
“Part of The Process” led out with a touch of Delta Blues in its intro, before a brief sample of “I Can See Clearly” segued into a sped-up rendition of their best-known number “Rome Wasn’t Built In A Day”, before closing out with a languid version of Bowie’s “Let’s Dance”, to put the cap on a well-received set.
Next up on the Bowl Stage was Baaba Maal, Senegal’s greatest living exponent of the ancient tradition of the griot, nomadic musical storytellers travelling from place to place.
He led his 8-piece band through a passionately delivered set, showing the strength of his long experience, at the same time expressing his view of Aotearoa as a beautiful country, pleading for peace in the world and calling for an end to the oppression of Palestine.
His recently released “Yerimayo Celebration” was given an extended workout, one that also demonstrated the proximity of this music to the gnawa style common across the west African space, and included an invitation to all present to ‘Come to Senegal’ – a generous offer!
Challenging the audience to dance better than Africans was bound to end in failure, though – these Antipodean asses ain’t got that swing! Coupled with a plea to respect the land, and the indigenous people thereon, this set amounted to nothing less than an outright celebration of life – and what better to celebrate?
Closing out the night, and the festival, was Theia, with her powerhouse hard-edged pop sensibility. Songs sweet as candy on the outside, but with acid on the inside, aimed at all the right targets! As she said, while pointing out that we’d need to do the dancing for her, with her foot being in a moon-boot due to an unfortunate accident, there were to be a lot of girl-power anthems played that night – exemplified by ‘Frat Boys’ with its refrain of “I am the new era, does my ego scare ya?“, a self-described ‘clap-back against the patriarchy’.
‘Ballhead’ was more overtly political and pointed in its lyrical content, pleading for maintaining the status of Te Tiriti, in face of the attacks being undertaken by the above-mentioned shower! She’s off to Vancouver on Wednesday, so the politicians are safe from having their feelings hurt for a few days.
But, as so often during these writings, my words can’t really do this dynamic performance justice – let’s just say that it saw off the festival on a high note, leaving keen anticipation for the next one in its wake!
And so, in conclusion …
WOMAD gets a reputation for being a ‘chill’ and ‘joyous’ event. Overall it was. Walking around, I mainly saw happy, relaxed people. Most were either under 20 years old or over 45 years old. That said, I saw a grandmother reading Harry Potter to her grandchild under the shade of a tree and a mother dancing with her son as if nobody was watching. Plenty of people from all backgrounds were here, camping out at the racecourse, zipping up and down on the free shuttles and golf carts driven by friendly locals. Everybody was happy to spread good vibes and joy, no matter what. That’s what makes this festival so resilient and why we keep coming back.
But three days of celebration, culture, art and food camping doesn’t magically appear. There’s a reason WOMAD Taranaki has been going for 21 years, clocking up 40,000 attendances across each weekend. And that’s down to the massive effort put in by the volunteer army that make this gig happen behind the scenes. So, from the darling, smiling woman that cleaned the portaloos through to the stage managers, artist drivers and minders, gate staff, those on recycling and water dispensaries, and every other job, big, little and invisible, thank you all from the bottom of our hearts. All 500 + of you! And don’t forget the 1,000 paid staff – from cooks to stage crew, lighting and sound engineers and everyone in between. You made this festival with your energy, trust, vibes, assistance and willingness to do absolutely anything in name of the festival. Thank you!
Were you there in New Plymouth for this magnificent celebration of World Music? Or have you been to WOMAD some other time? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Note: Ambient Light was provided passes to review and photograph this festival. As always, this has not influenced the review in any way and the opinions expressed are those of Ambient Light’s only. This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase a product using an affiliate link, Ambient Light will automatically receive a small commission at no cost to you.
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