In June 1982, Peter Gabriel headlined the first WOMAD Festival, an event he co-founded to showcase music, artists, and dancers from around the world. The three-day festival was held June 16-18 at the 240-acre Bath and West Showground in Shepton Mallet, England.
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Gabriel’s performance, which took place on Friday, June 16, featured the U.K. rock legend debuting most of the songs from his then-upcoming fourth self-titled solo album.
Now, audio of Peter’s set will be released for the first time on Friday, August 8, via streaming services. Live at WOMAD 1982 features renditions of seven songs from Peter Gabriel 4, including the hit “Shock the Monkey,” and such other gems as “I Have the Touch,” “Lay Your Hands on Me,” and “The Rhythm of the Heat.”
Gabriel also performed his classic 1980 song “Biko” and the non-album tune “I Go Swimming” during the show. Peter was accompanied by guitarists David Rhodes and Peter Hammill, bassist John Giblin, synth player Larry Fast, drummer Jerry Marotta, and the Bristol, U.K.-based drum-and-dance group Ekomé.
Gabriel’s performance of “The Rhythm of the Heat” has been released as an advance digital track from the live album. You also can check out a video clip of part of the performance at Peter’s YouTube channel.
Gabriel’s Comments About the 1982 WOMAD Performance
Gabriel shared his recollections about the event in a statement.
“I remember this gig well,” he said. “We played a mix of old and brand-new material. I would normally be very nervous about playing some of this stuff for the first time, however my mind was very preoccupied with the running of our very first WOMAD festival and the potential financial disaster that it was heading towards.”
He continued, “Because WOMAD was unique in its focus on music and art from around the world, and mixing it with up with rock and jazz, no-one knew how many people might turn up and we had seriously overestimated our appeal. But those that had decided to check out WOMAD and its weird and wonderful lineup were open-minded, bold and curious—a great audience.”
Peter concluded, “It was a landmark and edgy gig for me both personally and musically and brings back lots of memories.”
More About the WOMAD Festival
Gabriel co-founded the WOMAD Festival in 1980. WOMAD stands for “World of Music, Art, and Dance.” The inaugural 1982 event featured 60 music acts from more than 20 countries. The lineup included Simple Minds, Echo and the Bunnymen, The English Beat, The Chieftains, Robert Fripp, The Drummers of Burundi, Pigbag, Salsa de Hoy, Musicians of the Nile, and many others.
Reflecting on the festival’s goal, Gabriel said, “We wanted to show that wherever you were born, whatever color or language, whatever religious or sexual persuasion, powerful passionate and joyful work would have a warm welcome in WOMAD.”
He added, “At the beginning, most music industry professionals told us that we had no chance of making this dream work, we had all the wonderful naïve misguided optimism of the young, and were convinced that we would prove all the cynics wrong. However, at the end of the first festival, it was clear we had an artistic success, but not a financial one… but that’s for another story.”
Since 1982, more than 300 editions of the WOMAD Festival have been presented in various countries around the world. After taking a hiatus in 2025, the next U.K. WOMAD fest is scheduled for 2026.
More About the Peter Gabriel 4 Album
Gabriel’s fourth self-titled solo album, alternately known as Peter Gabriel 4 and Security, was released in September 1982. It peaked at No. 28 on the Billboard 200 and No. 6 on the U.K. albums chart.
“Shock the Monkey” became the former Genesis frontman’s first Top-40 solo hit in the U.S. It reached No. 29 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The album went on to be certified gold by the RIAA for sales of more than 500,000 in the U.S.
Peter Gabriel: Live at WOMAD 1982 Track List:
- “San Jacinto”
- “The Family and the Fishing Net”
- “I Have the Touch”
- “Lay Your Hands on Me”
- “Shock the Monkey”
- “I Go Swimming”
- “The Rhythm of the Heat”
- “Kiss of Life”
- “Biko”
(Courtesy of Peter Gabriel Ltd.)
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