Levis’ 5 Night Revue, Metronomy + Tubelord, Macbeth – Friday 26th September 2008

Tubelord kicked off proceedings on the final night of Levis’ five night stay at the Macbeth and did so loudly. Buoyed by plenty of local support the rock band that should have broke up and gone to university actually put on a set more than worth half an hour of anybody’s time. Post grunge it definitely isn’t and a 19 year old Thom York may welll be ashamed of that haircut but once you get passed these small details and let go 1991 doesn’t sound that bad. Not when you have had to listen to Snow Patrol on your office radio all day. As with every other night this week Levis’ had collected up two improbable team mates in a successful bid to put on an original show and open up peoples ears to new music. Their Ones to Watch brand has built up a lot of momentum in the past year, especially with the recent success of acts graduating from this stage 12 months ago and I can’t imagine that many would have arrived as fans of both bands, but the likelihood is that they would have definitely left that way.

Tonight’s headliners Metronomy have already had one album out, but singer Joseph Mount has since strengthened his line up by making former back ups the Food Groups full time members of his. This has turned out to be a masterstroke with Metronomy moving from that awkward position of timid critical acclaim to full on men of the moment. Their party of a live set still finds room for efforts from the first album, but with a new lease of life they could never go under appreciated. The funky bass riffs, light shows and dance moves have the crowd bopping away like the bar staff in some sort of funky house club. Crowd favourites such as the superb ‘My Heart Rate Rapid’, Radio Ladio’ and ‘Heartbreaker’ can’t fail to impress and by the time comes for the lights to be raised there is sweat dripping off the walls, surely everyone went home happy.

Spring is finally here and with the gorgeous sunshine that familiar festival feeling is starting to take over. The stunning setting of Henham Park on the Sunrise Coast will be the place to be this summer with a weekend full to the brim of watching amazing and exciting bands, hearing some the countries best poetry, listening to a book reading by some incredible authors, taking part in a bespoke theatre production, losing yourself in cabaret, or witnessing fantastic dance compositions on a floating stage on the lake. There’s no other festival quite like Latitude Festival.

The imposing Obelisk Arena will host Brit-award winning folktronic songtress Beth Orton on the Friday at Latitude. Her distinctive vocals and sweet melodies have earned her a career spanning over ten years and seven albums; her eighth will follow towards the end of the year. Her beautiful, quirky voice and her brilliant mix of electronica and folk produced two Mercury Music Award nominations for ‘Trailer Park’ and ‘Central Reservation’ and a Top Ten album with ‘Daybreaker’ spawning such hit singles as ‘She Cried Your Name’ and ‘Stolen Car’. Her renowned live performance will no doubt be a moving and stunning addition to Friday’s festivities.

The hugely influential Belgium quintet Deus are coming to Latitude for the Saturday. These underground heroes have been enjoying a resurgence of late with their fantastic new album ‘Vantage Point’ which showcases their trademark fusion of all types of music, pop, folk, rock, free jazz, neo-prog, punk and heavy metal. They’re one of the most successful and influential Belgian rock bands ever, inspiring the likes of Muse and Radiohead to name but two. An exciting addition to the Obelisk Arena.

Manchester’s cult three-piece I Am Kloot join Saturday’s stellar line-up. Hailed as one of the best songwriters in the country by Pete Doherty and Guy Garvey from Elbow, Johnny Bramwell from I Am Kloot writes fantastically dark and sometimes sinister brooding songs that are compelling and catchy. They’ve been around for over ten years and released five albums and whilst mainstream appreciation eludes them they’re not short of admirers and dedicated followers and are worth checking out on the Obelisk Arena.

Scottish psychedelic pop outfit Aliens, consisting of former members of The Beta Band join the line-up on Friday. Their phenomenal album ‘Astronomy For Dogs’ which came out last year is a upbeat pop/rock record, quite different from the trip-hop of The Beta Band. It spawned the track ‘I Am The Unknown’ which is featured in the recent blockbuster movie ‘21’.

Quirky and indefinable, Leeds quartet Grammatics are making serious waves in the music industry thanks to support slots with The Futureheads and The Pigeon Detectives at a NME Awards show. Their cross-breed of influences from heavy rock and metal to mid-nineties Brit Art Rock and indie dance means their sound is truly their own. It’s winning them fans all over the country and they will no doubt continue their rise to mainstream success. Once again Latitude are bring the very best in up and coming talent.

Over in the Uncut Arena, Guillemots are back with a new album and one of the catchiest singles of the year in ‘Get Over It’. Expect massive singalong choruses from the quirky indie popsters when they take to the stage on the Saturday. The band have toured with the likes of Rufus Wainwright and Snow Patrol and with guitars, keyboards, saxophones and woodwind instruments the Guillemots live experience is never a dull affair. Definitely worth your attention!

One of the hottest bands of the moment, Black Kids, will bring their unique style of danceable disco indie spliced with 80’s pop vibes to the Uncut Arena on the Friday. It has been quite the year for Florida five piece. A breakthrough performance at Popfest in Georgia coincided with demo EP ‘Wizard of Ahhhs’ being posted on the band’s Myspace and Black Kids were unleashed. A flurry of label interest and positive music press followed while the bands live show continued to justify the hype. Debut single ‘I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You’ reached Number 11 in the UK charts and performed the track on the first ever live edition of Later…..with Jools Holland.

Step aside Prince because there is some new funk in town. Essex four piece Magistrates mix Klaxons style beats with funky pop rhythms to create a sound so fresh you won’t even have to shower. Already causing a buzz, the band have supported Top 10 newcomer Sam Sparro and will be ready to impress when they groove into the Uncut Arena on Saturday.

As Latitude is dedicated to bringing the very best in emerging talent, the stunning Sunrise Arena will host a line-up of tomorrow’s stars.

With the release of their imminent second album ‘Nights Out’ landing before the festival Metronomy (Joseph Mount) will undoubtedly be on top form when Latitude hits the Suffolk coast. Originally from Devon and now based in London Metronomy has not only been brought to the public eye with his own material but also as a sought-after remixer for Obelisk headliners Franz Ferdinand, Klaxons and Kate Nash to name only a few. Oscar Cash and Gabriel Stebbing will be joining Joseph Mount on the Sunrise Arena for a set not to be missed.

Latitude welcomes Rosie & The Goldbug who will be showcasing their incredible piano lead harmonies and haunting vocal melodies. The Cornish three piece featuring Rosie (Rosie Vanier), Pixie (Lee Matthews) and Plums (Sarah Morgan) have been described as a ‘Prozac-ingesting mix of Tori Amos, Cabaret’s Sally Bowles…’ and ‘Kate Bush on Crack’!

Joining them is the dreamy pop of London trio The Joy Formidable. The newcomers have already had a song featured on an advert for cult show Skins and gigs supporting Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly. Let their smooth grooves wash over you on the Friday afternoon.

Irish musician Wallis Bird will be taking to Latitude’s Saturday afternoon line-up, guitar-in-hand to forecast a unique combination of traditional folk music, blues and funk that will be the perfect accompaniment to the Suffolk sunshine. The Daily Star have said her semi-acoustic confessional songs hit the soul hard, but it’s her voice that’ll melt the coldest of hearts. Maybe it’s time for Wallis Bird to melt yours.

Maintaining the traditions of the best in English song writing with a modern freshness and vigour, Godwits are a band that are turning heads and swelling hearts wherever they go with music that reflects the contradictions of life. Indie folk rock at its most intriguing.

Headlining this year’s event on the Obelisk Arena, Scottish art-rock heroes Franz Ferdinand play their only English festival show exclusively at Latitude on the Friday night; the majestic and soaring Icelandic post-rock outfit Sigur Ros head up Saturday’s line-up and New York titans Interpol close the arena on the Sunday with their unique brand of powerful and atmospheric inventive indie rock. Friday night over on the Uncut Arena will see an incredibly special performance from “Africa’s funkiest band” (Evening Standard), the remarkable Amadou and Mariam and throughout the rest of the weekend the Obelisk and Uncut Arenas will host stunning performances from Nick Cave’s Grinderman, the beautiful poetry of Martha Wainwright, epic musicians The Mars Volta, the charming Death Cab for Cutie, the superb Elbow, legendary alt rockers The Breeders, legendary performer Julian Cope and grime, hip-hop, electro pop queen, M.I.A.

Boasting four Music Arenas, the Obelisk, Uncut, Sunrise and The Lake Stage span a wide range of genres and music hand-picked especially for the festival; bands and artists are chosen with the essence of Latitude in mind. More established bands play in harmony alongside the freshest new acts and with so much more to be announced – it only gets better!

But of course, Latitude is so much more than a music festival. This year’s Latitude can boast the exclusive involvement of BAFTA in the Film and Music Arena; a quite astonishing comedy line-up including Omid Djalili, Ross Noble, Frankie Boyle, Rich Hall and Simon Amstell in the Comedy Arena.
The Literary Arena is packed full of top authors including Simon Armitage, Hanif Kureishi and Iain Banks as well as Latitude favourites Vox ‘N’ Roll, WordTheatre and Marcus Brigstocke’s The Early Edition. The National Theatre, Royal Court Theatre, RSC and The Bush all bring exciting new shows to the Theatre Arena. Plus stellar poets Adrian Mitchell, John Hegley and Carol Ann Duffy are all confirmed for the Poetry Arena hosted by Luke Wright. The Cabaret Arena welcomes the ever hilarious and inventive Vauxhallville with plenty more exciting performances to announce in the pipeline. And that’s not to mention the awe-inspiring Sadler’s Wells who will perform their world class dance on a beautiful stage floating in the middle of the lake as will The Irrepressibles with their orchestral brilliance.

Music Lineup Additions

Obelisk Arena
BETH ORTON
DEUS
I AM KLOOT
ALIENS
GRAMMATICS

Uncut Arena
GUILLEMOTS
BLACK KIDS
MAGISTRATES

Sunrise Arena
METRONOMY
ROSIE & THE GOLDBUG
THE JOY FORMIDABLE
WALLIS BIRD
GODWITS

TICKET INFORMATION
Weekend tickets £130 plus booking fees.
Day tickets Fri, Sat, Sun £55 plus booking fee.
Weekend tickets prices include car parking and camping. Days include car parking only.

Credit Card Booking: 0870 060 3775
Online at www.festivalrepublic.com, www.seetickets.com, www.latitudefestival.co.uk