Underworld - WOMADelaide
Botanic Park / Tainmuntilla
Thirty years ago, the dancefloor changed. At the turn of the decade, acid house, hanging around from its emergence in the late 80s, opened the door to a new UK rave scene – where indie heads joined the club crowds and transformed empty fields and derelict warehouses into spaces of community and transcendence. And in 1994, Underworld emerged with a desperate reinvention born for the scene on their third album dubnobasswithmyheadman.
Their visionary and uninhibited approach to dance music soon caught the attention of director Danny Boyle, landing the group on the soundtrack of the seminal 1996 film Trainspotting – and subsequently the decade – with the generation-defining single Born Slippy .NUXX. Now, Underworld (Rick Smith and Karl Hyde) have once again found a place in the cultural zeitgeist – making their debut with Boiler Room, selling out a US tour in 2025, and collaborating on a viral set at London's Alexandra Palace with Fred again.. and The Streets' Mike Skinner.
For 40 years, Smith and Hyde's projects both on and off the stage have cemented them as a British institution and in 2027 Underworld will take over the Foundation Stage. So, choose dancing on the grass after sunset. Choose the long weekend over work on Monday. Choose Underworld.
