In Pictures: Africa Oyé 2014

Pete Goodbody shares with us his photographic highlights from the UK’s largest, free African music festival…

Africa Oyé attracted record crowds in Liverpool’s Sefton Park this year; partly because of the weather, but it seems to be more on the public radar, too.

It regularly gets mentioned in national press as one of the country’s best free festivals. Yet in contradiction to many free music events, there are no shortcuts with the quality of the acts — there’s always a great line up. It’s a friendly festival too; people are there because they want to have a good time.

Reggae royalty, Misty in Roots (playing on Sunday) were my highlight, having been introduced to them by John Peel when I was still at school. But it’s also good to be exposed to new acts — HAJAmadagascar & The Groovy People in particular stood out.

Shooting Africa Oyé is always good fun, both the bands and the crowd (I had a pass for the pit, but it isn’t always needed — it’s easy enough to get close to the front anyway). It’s a highlight of the year for me; Liverpool does this kind of event so well and seems to have an understanding, even in this challenging economic climate, that it is important still to get people out in the park to have a good time.

Above: HAJAmadagascar & The Groovy People in action. Afro trance rooted in Malagasy tradition (‘the spiritual music of Madagascar’), the band is led by guitarist, singer and multi-instrumentalist HAJA

Above: Misty in Roots. Emerging from London in the ’70s, they played a major role in Rock Against Racism, performing at more concerts than any other band in the movement

Above: Mobo and BRIT award winning Finely Quaye. He topped UK charts in the late ’90s with hits Even After All, Sunday Shining and Love Gets Sweeter

Above: Jupiter & Okwess International. The band collaborated with Damon Albarn on the album Kinhasa One Two (2011)

Pete Goodbody

More photography from Pete here and on Twitter @p3dro

Main image: nine-piece Wara — their name comes from the Cuban expression ‘guara,’ meaning someone ‘very friendly, energetic and talkative, but with an underlying ulterior motive behind the bubbly exterior’

More on Africa Oyé here