Latitude Festival 2015
Latitude Festival 2015, Henham Park
Suffolk, 16th-19th July
The Lowdown-
Despite only being founded in 2006, Latitude has quickly established
itself as one of the quintessential events on the summer festival
circuit. It has become known for providing a plethora of musical
talent with a focus on alternative, indie, rock and folk and nailing that
often difficult combination of classic acts and emerging talent. What
really makes Latitude special though is its all encompassing scope,
from civilised to hedonistic there will be something to placate you-
whether that entails watching the National Youth Dance Company on
the stunning ‘Waterfront Stage’ or staying up past your bedtime and
partying to DJs ‘In the Woods’.
With standard tickets coming in at £200 with booking fees, some
people will be querying if Latitude is justified in charging the same as
Leeds/Reading, T in the Park and V Festival. Obviously this is down
to personal preference and if you’re holding out for a Sam Smith
surprise performance you’re going to be sorely disappointed. If
however, you’ve ever read the NME, listened to Bob Dylan or “seen
that band before they were big”, you will undoubtedly find Latitude
right up your street. We promise.
The Latitude organisers have made travel to the Henham Park setting
easy as pie. There will be frequent shuttle buses from nearby train
stations Diss and Halesworth, or if you just fancy one bus, the festival
has a partnership with National Express Coaches so you can book a
return ticket from stations including London and Norwich. For the
drivers, you can stick NR34 8AN in your sat nav and follow the signs.
When you do arrive, there are even onsite golf-buggies to help you
shift your gear, because god knows there is nothing more strenuous
than trying to carry those 3 for £18 crates in all at once.
Further details can be found here:
http://www.latitudefestival.co m/information/travel
Who’s On-
The ‘Obelisk Arena’ this year has been picked to please and is graced
by a crowd-alluring mix of talent. Friday sees Alt-J headline on the
back of their superb number 1 album, ‘This is All Yours’ whilst
Saturday is headlined by the genre-crossing, experimental brilliance
of Portishead. Sunday night festivities will be in full flow as Noel
Gallagher and his High Flying Bird’s will treat the main stage to a set
of his outstanding solo material littered with Oasis classics. Get ready
to experience the climax of practically every indie clubnight in the
country times 100 as Noel plays ‘Don’t Look Back In Anger’. Also
appearing on the main stage over the three days are Manic Street
Preachers, Warpaint, Wild Beasts, Badly Drawn Boy and The
Boomtown rats. Quite a mix…
On the second stage, also known as the ‘BBC 6 Music Stage’ is a
delectable assortment of established and emerging talent. Saturday
sees indie sweethearts The Vaccines being supported by Catfish & the
Bottlemen who are currently firmly cast in the limelight of new indie
music. On the same day are the legendary Charlatans, angsty talent
from emergent Wolf Alice and the best example of grunge you’ll see
for a long time from Drenge. Sets from acclaimed electro artist
SBTRKT, psychedelic quartet Django Django and La Roux (remember
Bulletproof?) will also make the 6 Music Stage a must visit during the
weekend.
Latitude isn’t all about the loud music though. It has a heart, a soul
and a brain. Excuse the anthropomorphic comparison but it really is
the only way to describe the cultural content on offer. There is a
literary tent, theatre tent, Huw Stephen’s Lake Stage, comedy and art
installations. Bloody national treasure and poet extraordinaire John
Cooper Clarke is even performing, can you see why we’re excited?
Why Should I Go?
The eclectic and welcoming nature of Latitude, set by a beautiful lake
with multi-coloured sheep frolicking by is enough to attract us and
will also undoubtedly attract a massive multi-generational crowd so
snap tickets up quick.
Where else could you see political author Own Jones give a talk on
austerity and then get leathered and sing along to some Oasis on the
same day? Latitude gives you the chance spend your days being
cultural and your evenings being irrational. It’s almost a motto to live
by. Alternatively though, you could just get spectacularly drunk for
three days. That’s the beauty of Latitude, the choice is yours…
By Ford Brown