With a giant fluffy coat, her signature style of dress and the voice of a star Kimbra took Womad by storm.
The New Zealand songstress bounced on stage in New Plymouth last night and gave the crowd of thousands a performance that was energetic, theatrical and just a little bit quirky, as one would expect from Kimbra.
Her live renditions of her songs, Limbo and Good Intent, as well as work from her yet to be released album, left fans screaming.
Womad was awash with what seemed like thousands of teenage girls with flowers in their hair, purely there to dance to their much loved Kimbra.
Among them was 14-year-old fan Courtney Hanlon, who said Kimbra was even better live.
“She’s an amazing performer and she’s got an outstanding voice, she should definitely come back again,” she said.
“This will remain my highlight of Womad weekend. Her voice is so different. No one has a voice like Kimbra.”
The singer, famous for her song Settle Down, and her Grammy Award winning hit Somebody That I Used To Know with Gotye, let loose at her homecoming gig.
Her headlining performance at Womad was her first show in her home country since she walked away with a Grammy just over a year ago.
And it was worth the wait.
“I’m so excited to be back here, playing for you guys . . . It’s been a really long time since I’ve been back,” the Hamilton-born star told the crowd.
With smoke flooding off the TSB Bowl of Brooklands stage and bright lights shining, the packed audience was spellbound by the 23-year-old singer.
Her superb rendition of Settle Down towards the end of her 75 minute set proved exactly why she was the drawcard of the first night of the festival.
Morgan Kiely, 21, had a one-day Womad pass and had bought it purely because of the chart topping singing sensation.
“She is amazing. She’s such a talented artist,” she said.
Kiely said although Womad was about world music it was the New Zealand artists who pulled her in.
“I thought I better get some Kiwi artists under my belt, and who better than Kimbra,” she said. More Womad, Pages 3, 15
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