Live Concert Review: globalFEST 2026 at Lincoln Center

Live Concert Photography: globalFEST 2026 at Lincoln Center

Last Sunday, I was at Lincoln Center to cover the 23rd annual globalFest. It was my time covering the annual event and I’ll say it up front: I had a blast. globalFest and Lincoln Center quickly proved to me that they do a fantastic job of presenting diverse and eclectic acts from all over the place that are simultaneously out there and wildly accessible. Psychedelic cumbia? Check. Sufi spiritual music? Check. Ukrainian folk punk? Check. Italian folk-tinged art rock? Check. Tunisian gnawa and rock? Check. South Korean punk? Check. Hawaiian falsetto — with pedal steel? Goodness, I love pedal steel, y’all. Salsa? Always, always, always check.

Now, I made attempts to catch as many of the night’s acts as humanly possible. Unfortunately, it meant that for all but the headliner, I only caught maybe roughly half of each set. And yet overall, globalFEST reminds its attendees that the world is much smaller and much more connected that what our current regime wants you to believe.

Vopli Vildopliassova

The night’s headliner was Vopli Vildoplissova, a Ukrainian folk and punk act that was founded 40 years ago. Among Ukirainians, the ensemble is a legendary and beloved act. There was a collection of very happy Ukrainians who were thrilled to see the act play a set of material that included covers of Ukrainian folk songs, holiday songs, a couple of Gershwin covers — as it turned out, Gershwin was Ukrainian — and some rather anthemic originals that touched upon punk and the blues.

Dale Watson & His Lone Stars with Special Guest Celine Lee

With the sets overlapping fairly closely, and having to between three different spaces on a couple of floors, it wound up that I only caught a couple of minutes of Dale Watson & His Lone Stars with Special Guest Celine Lee. But the few minutes I caught were a mix of hard-charging honky tonk and an adorable cover of one of my favorite Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash songs “Jackson.”

Nour Harkati

Nour Harkati is a Tunisian-born, New York-based artist, whose sound blends the traditional sounds of his hometown with more modern and Western sounds like rock and funk. His set included a song about being an outsider, of someone taking a bold chance for adventure — with the hopes of it working out and with the hopes that when you get wherever you’re going, that you’ll be welcomed and understood. And on an atomic level, it hit me deeply.

Raiatea Helm

Raiatea Helm is a master of Hawaiian falsetto, some of the most gorgeous music I’ve heard in about a year. Plus, I can’t get enough of that pedal steel, y’all. Much of the what I caught of the set focused on the pride and resilience of the Hawaiian people. Those are the sorts of songs any marginalized person would feel and understand very deeply.

Dilemastronauta Y La Tripulación Cósmica

Dilemastronauta Y La Tripulación Cósmica is a die project of acclaimed local cumbia act Combo Chimbita. Their set was a mind-bending and downright dance floor friendly material.

Insun Park & Generals

I caught a few minutes of South Korean outfit Insun Park & Generals, who played a rousing and energetic set of punk, rock and traditional South Korean folk.

The Naghash Ensemble

I managed to catch a couple of minutes of The Naghash Ensemble‘s set and it was breathtakingly gorgeous.

David Rivera Y La Bámbula

David Rivera y La Bámbula played a set of fiery and funky salsa that was simultaneously timeless and modern that was dance floor friendly and soulful.

Maria Mazzotta

Maria Mazzotta played a set of material that brought JOVM mainstay Laura Carbone, the legendary PJ Harvey, Faroe Islands’ own Eivør, U2 and shoegaze — at points broodingly cinematic and at other points atmospheric. But throughout, the material showcased an artist with an almost operatic range.

Saami Brothers with Ustad Nasseruddin Saami

Saami Brothers with Ustad Nasseruddin Saami opened the night with a set of gorgeous, downright dreamy material full of yearning that arched heavenward. At points, the material seemed to channel gnawa more than I ever expected.

____

The Joy of Violent Movement is a completely independent and completely D.I.Y. media outlet. Over the course of this site’s 15+ year history, I’ve used my fiercely independent stance to cover music with an eclectic and global perspective that a lot of other publications just don’t have — and will likely never have. 

To that end, I could use your support to continue to keep bringing you my unique global perspective on music. There are a number of ways that you can support this work. 

I’ve been told that some people would prefer to make a one-time donation because it’s easy and less of an obligation. So, if you’re able to make a one-time donation, there’s a donation box below.

If you can give more regularly, please feel free to check out my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheJoyofViolentMovement. 

Anything you can give is very much appreciated. It can and does make a real difference, y’all. 

I know that a lot of folks are struggling to make ends meet in an uncertain and tumultuous economic climate. So there are other, non-financial ways in which you can support this work. 

You can follow me on the following social platforms:

X/Twitter: @yankee32879 and @joyofviolent 

Instagram: @william_ruben_helms

Threads: @william_ruben_helms

Bluesky: @williamrubenhelms.bsky.social

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheJoyofViolentMovement

As always, if there are posts that you dig, share them with your friends. The more eyeballs on my work, the better.