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While Busby Marou's recent success has shown me what the Ukelele is capable of when virtuosically shredded, Leah Flanagan plays the instrument as I've always felt it was intended. A lightly strummed accompaniment to a summer ballad, only complete when in the presence of grass skirts and coconut shells.

September Song is typical of Leah's songwriting, country folk with a hint of swooning jazz. I had the pleasure of seeing her play at WOMADelaide over the Labour Day weekend. She and her band held sway over about a thousand festival goers, stretched out in the sun on the grass in the beautiful botanic gardens, mid afternoon, barely believing the weather, drinking unfiltered South Austrlian beer and eating oysters. Call me decadent but listening to her sing and play the ukelele in those surroundings was pretty close to paradise for me... Leah was on the bill as a rising star of Australian songwriting, a singer of indigenous heritage, a unique and charismatic presence on stage and a collection of honest songs informed by life in her home town of Darwin.

It was this writers first visit to the WOMADelaide festival and I spent much of the time facepalming myself in regret for not having been earlier. Several hundred kilometres to the east Golden Plains and the Port Fairy Folk Festival were rocking, I'd taken a risk and skipped them this year looking for a different experience. Meanwhile, thousands of miles away a veritable army of Australian musicians and music industry types were on their way to South By Southwest in Austin, Texas. I wasn't jealous, I was taking part in one of the worlds great festivals.

The greatest beauty of WOMADelaide is discovery. Not just finding new artists, but discovering entire musical cultures and genres that you never knew existed. Dereb the Ambassador (Ethiopian superstar living in Sydney) was another local highlight. He's recently recorded an album of authentically recorded Ethiopian pop with Hip Hop producer Tony Buchan which we can't wait to get our hands on.

30,000 people each year go to WOMADelaide, those that have been there before know what I'm talking about, beautiful relaxing and inspiring. I'll be back next year.