Ragamuffin Reggae Festival

Posted: 25th Oct 2009

Superstar, Wyclef Jean will headline the third Ragamuffin Reggae Festival which takes place in New Zealand and Australia in January 2010.

Wyclef Jean will headlining the festival's five shows in the New Zealand capital, Auckland, as well as dates in the Australian cities of Perth, Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne.

Sly and Robbie, Julian Marley, Shaggy and pop rapper Sean Kingston are also in the lineup and Shaggy will be making his second appearance on the show.

The Ragamuffin Festival was first held in 2008 by a group of reggae enthusiasts. British supergroup UB40, The Wailers and American neo-soul group Arrested Development headlined the inaugural event.

Ziggy Marley, Eddy Grant, former UB40 lead singer Ali Campbell and Inner Circle were among the performers on the event. The New Zealand leg reportedly drew 25,000 fans.

The Antipodes may be the last frontier for reggae to conquer. Bob Marley was at the peak of his fame when he toured Australia and New Zealand in 1979 but the location of those countries has always proved an economic challenge for promoters.

Roots-reggae legends Peter Tosh and Jimmy Cliff have performed in both countries whereas dancehall superstar Sean Paul has done shows in Australia, based on the impact of his platinum-selling albums, Dutty Rock and The Trinity.

Australian bands have had some success with reggae. Men At Work hit it big in 1982 with Down Under, which topped Billboard magazine's pop chart.