Beginners guide to Latitude Festival
Love incredible live music, side-splitting comedy and just generally smooth vibes? Well get yourself down to Henham Park in Suffolk from 14th-17th July for this year’s instalment of Latitude Festival, for all of the above, and more. Previous headliners have included SBTRKT and Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, among others, and this year’s festival looks like it’s certainly going to continue its longstanding tradition of cracking music and idyllic location. Think the chilled vibes of a long walk in the beautiful countryside, but to the soundtrack of some the best up and coming artists around. Tickle your fancy? Then the Latitude-lovers at Licklist have got the perfect guide to whet your appetite.
And there’s no better place to start than the line-up that the wonderful curators at Latitude have lovingly put together for your listening pleasure; and, just taking a little browse at their site on the Interweb, the sheer variety of music, stages, and genres available, is ridiculous. I know it’s a pretty tired cliché, but, honestly, there’s something for everyone. (Unless you don’t really like music. In which case, maybe festivals aren’t for you.) The main stage, the Obelisk Arena, will play host to an eye-wateringly eclectic mix of musical talent, ranging from the indie rock anthems of The Maccabees, all the way to the soul-wrenchingly beautiful vocals of Chet Faker, with a healthy portion of everything else in between. Oh, and this stage is at the top of the hill which overlooks the whole site. Nothing like a good view to accompany the amazing music.
Next on the agenda, is the BBC Radio 6 Music Stage, which is set to showcase the best ‘alternative’ music around. I put ‘alternative’ in inverted commas because, again, the folks have really outdone themselves here. They’ve got an incredibly wide range of fantastic talent on offer, headlined by none other than Canadian alt-pop sensation Grimes, hot off the back of her recent album, Art Angels. Other highlights include Of Monsters and Men, Miike Snow, and Roots Manuva. Not bad, eh?
Latitude is also dedicated to bringing you the best of all the up and coming musical superstars, and they certainly don’t disappoint. Spanning across two idyllic stages, the Sunrise Arena and the Lake Stage, those beautifully creative curators at Latitude have lined up some real high quality tones. Now, don’t be alarmed if you don’t recognise some of the names on their line-up, you’re certainly not alone; these diamonds are so far in the rough, most of us haven’t even realised they exist yet, but now is your chance to get to know! Nothing like coming away from a festival with a new favourite artist, right? You arrive at the heavenly gates of Latitude a relative music newbie, simply ecstatic to be seeing The Maccabees, and leave after three days with more music knowledge than Spotify, Last. FM, and Wikipedia put together. For the music-lovers and Soundcloud surfers at Licklist, this certainly sounds like our kind of festival.
And there’s even more! Latitude have got all manner of artsy-fartsy goodness to amuse your mind and soul. They’ve got boisterous belly-busting comedy, headlined by Russell Howard (yes! the same Russell Howard from the television!), with other notable acts including Al Murray and Reggie Watts. They’ve also got theatre from some of the country’s leading theatre and dance companies, poetry in all shapes and sizes, and even cabaret!
Now, before you get too bowled over by all this festival frenzy, let me first give you some more practical details. Tickets are now available to buy from their website (what are you waiting for?) and come in all manner of packages, so you can find whichever one best suits you. You can even pay in instalments if the initial outlay is too much; those dudes at Latitude really want you to have a good time, even if you are kinda broke. And the festival is incredibly accessible too, so there’s no excuse! Latitude have partnered with the Big Green Coach, which picks up from 27 locations across the country. So, you can get cheap as chips travel to the festival, and help the save the planet in the process. Now, that’s a win-win, if ever I saw one. The location is also easy to get to via car and train, just check the website for more details.
Well, that’s all from us, see you there peeps!
Nicholas Cooke